Loving the Alien
by QuantumSheep
Summary: A turian mercenary is hired to find a mysterious package and is inadvertently dragged into a war between two rival organizations. Complete with the final chapter up.
1. Security Breach

**Location:** Alliance Secure Storage Facility, Klensal, Hades Gamma Cluster

* * *

"It's so cold outside I think I can't even feel my balls anymore…"

"Probably because you haven't got any to begin with…"

"Why don't you just shut up?"

Security Officer Gregory Hardman was only dimly aware of the exchange occurring between his two fellow officers behind him, having been concentrating on the series of computer monitors in front of him. There were about ten monitors in total, each divided into four evenly sized sections and each section connected to one of the many cameras scattered throughout the compound, both outside and inside. The outside cameras never really showed much, visibility outside being just about zero with only the small light by the camera itself to illuminate the immediate vicinity. Snow, as usual, was the main calling card of this world since it was covered with it. Blizzards were happening all the time and to top it all off the planet seemed to have been put into permanent darkness, the sunlight from the distant and ageing sun almost constantly blotted out by thick dark clouds which hung in the sky and filled it completely...

The room Gregory was in was the security station, located on the ground floor of the facility and currently was the only populated room in the building. The majority of the guards were outside or in guard posts, made to put up with the cold and lack of breathable atmosphere while Gregory and his two fellow officers could sit in reasonable luxury, with heating and other climate control systems available to them. The oxygen inside the moderately sized facility had the taste of having been constantly recycled; being a bit sour on the tongue and a bit dry on the throat but otherwise it was better than being cooped up in an environment suit and made to stand guard outside.

Gregory was more or less the Alliance military equivalent of a security guard, the same going for the two others that were with him: they were trained in the use of small arms (only pistols and shotguns) and were trained to respond to any sort of offensive situation. In the case of a standard Security Officer, "offensive situation" meant to be prepared for any sort of attack by hostile forces (whoever those hostile forces might be). Defences were the specialities of Security Officers like Gregory and when things got a little too hot to handle it was a simple enough matter of calling for backup. You'd just better hope the backup would arrive in time.

Gregory had been born on Earth in one of the bigger cities and at the age of two his mother had died in a shuttle accident. His father, being a military man, had been the one to raise him, often taking him on board cruisers and frigates while his father served in the Alliance Navy. Gregory had grown up on ships but had never actually seen much combat.

This facility, here on Klensal, was more or less a larger version of the research stations so common on unchartered worlds such as this snow covered rock Gregory and the others were stationed on. There were three floors to the main facility, the ground being where the aforementioned security station was located as well as where a garage was located, able to bring in vehicles laden with recently arrived supplies and send them back out again. The other two floors were mostly officers and laboratories.

The complement of vehicles for this station consisted of one MAKO, an all-terrain transport often used by the Alliance military. This particular MAKO didn't have any weapons attached, possibly to save on the strict budget that had been put toward the construction of this facility. An unarmed MAKO cost considerably less than one with weapons attached and even Gregory thought that an armed MAKO would be a tad useless in a place like this. Nothing interesting ever happened here on Klensal, a frozen planet out in the Dis system of the Hades Gamma Cluster, so armed vehicles probably weren't a necessity. There were others who disagreed, saying that they should be prepared for any eventuality but Gregory firmly believed that nothing of particular interest would be happening here, ever.

Gregory had been a firm believer in this lack of action that he wasn't sure what to think of the silent cascade of white noise that had replaced one of the camera feeds on one of the monitors. He had been about to activate the radio on the desk to alert the guards outside but a thought crossed his mind, one that had crossed his mind several times during his stay here on Klensal: exterior cameras were malfunctioning all the time, their environmental shielding often being worn away and allowing the camera to be exposed to the harsh environment outside and freezing up the circuits. The loss of one was really nothing and actually quite common. With this in mind he removed his finger away from the desk radio's switch, his gaze moving from the fuzzy camera feed and then toward the bulky figure standing by the table behind him. Sitting at the table was an Arab looking man, dressed in the standard uniform of a security guard. The Arab's name was Ahmad Hassan, a Security Officer just like Gregory and one that he was good friends with. Ahmad hailed from Saudi Arabia, having been born to wealthy parents who had then sent him to join the army when he was old enough. Gregory had never asked Ahmad why his parents had been so intent on sending him off to join the military since the question had never really occurred to him. Usually the two of them simply spoke about home or their favourite foods, colours, movies…

The man in the bulky environment suit who had just shared insults with Ahmad then moved over to one of the heaters on the wall and started rubbing his hands in front of it, hoping to get warmth. He had hung his suit's helmet on a hook on the wall by the security room's door. Beyond that door was a short hallway and a door that lead to an airlock which in turn lead outside.

The man's name was Timothy Lassay and he was the man in charge of organizing the supplies that were brought into the facility that helped keep everyone stationed here alive and sustained. He was a likeable man with broad shoulders and a grinning face, as well as a five o'clock shadow that proved he hadn't bothered shaving for some days now. Lassay ran a hand across his suit's front, rubbing away the ice that had started forming in any sort of indentation in the armour itself. He shivered some more but this was already beginning to subside, Lassay turning around to face Ahmad who was bearing a wide grin. Lassay pointed an accusing finger at the Arab but didn't seem at all serious about it.

"Don't make anymore cracks about my balls," Lassay managed to say. The pair lost their smiles, Lassay moving on to a slightly more serious matter. "As I was going to say, those Alliance pilots, a lot of them aren't actually good at their job. Well, at least the ones they use to fly the drop-ships carrying our supplies. I had to go out and tag a supply drop for pickup by the soldiers which had been dropped way off course, way out into the icy wastes. There's fuck all out there and visibility's almost zero, so I had to take the MAKO.

"That would have been all well and good if the MAKO's jump jets hadn't malfunctioned," Lassay continued, pulling up a seat at Ahmad's table and sitting down. Gregory noticed that it had gotten considerably colder ever since Lassay had come in, as if the cold air had clung to him and carried itself inside.

"The cold must affect the circuits since the damn things weren't working," Lassay said, removing his armour's gloves and tossing them over into the corner, "sure, I could have made my trip here and back without the help of the jump jets but, like I said, visibility is almost zero…"  
The cold had subsided inside the room, returning to its well heated former state. Gregory picked up the insulated paper cup of coffee on the desk which he had been sipping from the past twenty minutes but was surprised to find it empty which was enough of an excuse for him to toss it towards the waste chute in the wall to his right. Unfortunately he missed the open chute, the cup bouncing off the wall inches from the side of the chute and landing on the floor, rolling a short distance away.

"So, as I was saying," Lassay continued, "since I couldn't see shit out there even with the MAKO's headlights on I ended up getting the vehicle's back wheels stuck in some sort of crag in the surface. This was on the way back and I had to spend an hour chipping away at the ice in sub-zero temperatures until they came free again."

Lassay glanced at Ahmad, who shrugged, and then to Gregory who hadn't been paying much attention and instead had been taking a look at the camera feeds in front of him. The lost feed from one of the exterior cameras still intrigued him although he wasn't sure whether he should call one of the guard posts and get a few of the soldiers to investigate. He fingered the switch on the radio, unsure whether it would be worth it or it would just waste the time of the guards sitting in their cold guard posts outside.

"Now, first thing tomorrow morning I'm going to get in touch with Command and have them send a mechanic down here to take a look at the MAKO," Lassay continued although now he showed a trace of annoyance, seeing that no one had been really listening to him. Ahmad was sipping away at a cup of coffee, his gaze concentrating on the holographic screen on the table as he tapped away at the keys and sorted through data.

"I doubt the guy they send will be any good," Lassay said before smiling, "hell, I doubt they'll even send one. I bet they're too busy to bother with a place like this, located on some piece of shit ball of ice that not even Santa Claus would want to call his home."

There was silence when Lassay finished although the man's gaze at Ahmad implied he was looking for some sort of response. When he didn't get one he rolled his eyes before turning towards Gregory.

"Say, Gregory, what the hell's so fascinating over there that you ain't got time to talk to your old pal Tim?"

Gregory snapped out of his self induced trance, his mind having wandered off as it ran through all sorts of possibilities that might have caused this particular camera feed to be lost. None seemed incredibly appealing, especially when his imagination kicked in and began imagining all sorts of horrid things, many from the horror movies he had spent his younger years watching. Snowy shit-holes such as Klensal seemed to make excellent habitats for all sorts of monsters.

Gregory turned around, looking toward Lassay who was leaning forwards, expecting some sort of fascinating and meaningful answer. Gregory couldn't manage one of them, instead he said one word.

"Nothing…"

Lassay looked disappointed for a moment before speaking again, going into that inquisitive demeanour of his that Gregory and Ahmad had gotten used to. Lassay was always asking questions and treating everybody else like they were little kids who didn't know any better. This wasn't a bad quality but it did get annoying sometimes.

"You sure it's nothing?"

"Positive."

Lassay wasn't the type of person who would leave something at a simple ending like that. No, rather than leaving the discussion to end there he got up and shuffled towards Gregory, looking over his shoulder and towards the computer monitors in front of him. He peered at the lost camera feed one, a hint of curiosity crossing his face but nothing more.

"You worried about that camera?" Lassay asked, frowning. Gregory nodded although he wasn't sure what he should be worrying about.

"Well, it's probably just the blizzard is all," Lassay said, "I'd only start to get worried if we lost more than say, three cameras maybe?"

As if on cue another of the camera feeds disappeared and was replaced by silent white fuzz, this feed having been on the same monitor as the previous lost one. Now the top half of the monitor was taken up by white noises while the rest of the cameras kept functioning.

Gregory sensed Lassay's mood diminish. Even so the burly man placed a reassuring hand on Gregory's shoulder, having sensed the uneasiness that had begun to build inside the young security guard.

"It's one hell of a storm outside," Lassay said although now his voice was lacking the colourful quality it had had when he had first walked in. Gregory could tell he was concerned but then again who wouldn't be? Losing two cameras in one night was certainly uncommon but quite possible. The main thing that was worrying Gregory was that they would lose more than two. That would mean that something was definitely wrong and that maybe someone would have to go outside and check it out…

_And be the monster's first victim_, Gregory thought absent-mindedly. He smiled, losing that feeling of anxiety he had felt at the loss of the second camera feed but only briefly. He soon remembered the seriousness of the situation, especially when another feed on the same monitor disappeared, replaced by the now all too familiar white noise (although there was no volume so maybe the term "noise" wasn't appropriate for the situation).

Without hesitation Lassay flicked the switch on the desk's radio, speaking into it confidently but in a serious tone.

"We just lost three camera feeds on the southern approach to the compound," Lassay said, "who's available to investigate?"

There were a lot of groans sounding from the other end of the signal but one voice spoke up above it all, the man behind it sounding weary and annoyed.

"I'll look into it."

"Don't go alone," Lassay said, "and chime back in when you find anything." He switched off the radio and he and Gregory watched the exterior camera feeds that were still functioning as a pair of soldiers in environment suits left one of the guard posts, moving into view of camera after camera before they disappeared, now in view of the cameras that were no longer working. Another exterior feed disappeared and Gregory felt himself tense up. Lassay remained calm but Gregory could see that he was worried.

About a minute passed and no response came through the radio about the loss of four cameras. Lassay flicked the switch on the radio and spoke into it, his voice now in a dead serious tone.

"Hey, you two found anything yet?"

Nothing but static came from the other end of the signal and Lassay reluctantly closed the channel. Ahmad had been watching from where he had been sitting and seemed surprised when Lassay turned around and started for the locker on the wall, keying in the keypad code and watching as the locker slid open.

"What's going on?" Ahmad asked. Lassay didn't respond so Ahmad turned to Gregory, hoping for an answer from him.

"Hey, what's going on Greg?"

Gregory shrugged. He had no idea what was going on and neither did Lassay. The both of them just knew something was up, especially since four camera feeds had been lost as well as two soldiers. This was enough to warrant a full investigation, something which Lassay looked intent on doing.

The locker's contents had always been the type Gregory had hoped he would never need to use. One reason he had gotten such a crap assignment is because he had requested it: low risk assignments were certainly his thing. Getting shot at scared the life out of him and being a security guard that looked after an insignificant storage facility such as this would be ensure he would probably never end up getting into a combat situation.

There was more to this facility than what originally met one's eye, which had been the idea all along. The Alliance, ever since its expansion into space and to unchartered worlds, had decided that what no better place to dump the items one wanted kept secret than on an unchartered world? When Gregory had first arrived here six months ago he had been told that it was a mere storage and research facility, home to a small contingent of soldiers and a few scientists. Security officers such as him would be used to keep everything organized and keep the soldiers under control but if Gregory had known the full detail of this "crap" assignment prior to arriving here he might not have been so keen on coming along.

Currently Gregory was getting paid to sit around and watch a bunch of monitors for a few hours of the day which was as good as any job could get, seeing as he was paid for this simple but tedious task. It hadn't been until a week after arriving that he had discovered the true purpose of this facility and his attempts at getting a transfer had not been successful. He had gotten used to the idea that they might be attacked but he had hoped that it would never happen yet here they were, Lassay already getting into the weapons locker and removing the few weapons stored inside.

This facility and the vast underground storage areas were known as Alliance Secure Storage Facility No. 27E. Gregory hadn't known that until he had arrived and it had taken him a week to find out what it was that was being stored here, in the underground areas that he had assumed were where samples taken from this planet were researched and experiments conducted. Ahmad had been the one to tell him this place was more than a research facility but a facility which housed some of the very items the Alliance military wanted kept secret.

It had been a while since Gregory had last read about any conspiracy theories, that kind of thing having never really interested him. When he had found out the first time he had scoffed at the thought of their being a lot of "top secret" objects kept down in the underground storage areas. No one except the few scientists and Lassay were allowed down in those areas so Gregory had never been able to see for himself what could possibly be down there. Ahmad had said he had been down there a few times and had said that the stacks of crates went as high as the ceiling which must have been at least ten metres. According to him they contained the sorts of top secret items the Alliance wanted stored away. As well as that, Ahmad went on to describe the stacks and stacks of varying sized and shaped crates were kept down there, taking up the majority of the underground storage area. Ahmad estimated that there might have been at least five hundred of them, stacked on top of each other and well out of the way of any prying eyes by being underground and on a planet such as Klensal. Gregory had never been sure whether or not this was true but if it was that meant that whatever was down there could be interesting to somebody other than the Alliance. The thought of a raid had always been in Gregory's mind but he had always been confident enough to believe that no one would bother, this facility being on some far out and insignificant world where the worst blizzards ever recorded in the galaxy occurred.

Lassay, of course, was in on the truth behind this facility and was now fiddling with a Hahne-Kedar manufactured Kessler pistol. Hahne-Kedar was a popular Earth-based manufacturer which manufactured the bulk of the small arms that the Alliance military used. The Kessler pistol was a standard slug throwing weapon, capable of receiving upgrades but otherwise it was of sup-par quality compared to other pistol models and manufacturers.

"What are you doing?" Ahmad asked; the surprise was quite noticeable on his features. He scratched at his chin and the whiskers there, unsure whether or not he should ask anymore than what he had just said.

Lassay glanced at him, his face grim but determined. He took one of the two shotguns hanging up inside the locker and threw it towards Ahmad. The Arab caught it and gave Lassay a surprised, unsure glance as if the man had just thrown him a bomb primed to explode any second from now.

"I'm going outside to take a look myself," Lassay said, taking up the other shotgun. He took out one of the other Kessler pistols and threw it towards Gregory. The security officer fumbled it for a moment before getting it gripped firmly in his fingers, looking down at it with wide eyes.

"You seriously think we're being attacked?" Gregory asked but he already knew what the answer would be. They _were_ under attack; a single glance at the lost camera feeds could prove that. Another few feeds disappeared and were replaced with white noise, Gregory noticing that the locations of the missing camera feeds corresponded to the path one would take through the southern approach to the base.

"I think we're being attacked but I'm not _sure_ if we're actually being attacked," Lassay said, "so going outside is the only way to know for sure." He managed one of his always reliable grins but his eyes betrayed the grim truth. Before Gregory or Ahmad could say anything else Lassay had gone to the door which slid open as he approached. He managed one last look at the dumbfounded pair of security guards, his face serious and no longer showing that colourful mood he was often in.

"If anybody who ain't me or one of the scientists or even one of the soldiers comes by, you shoot him, you got that?" Lassay said. Gregory nodded, watching as Lassay disappeared through the door, heading out into the corridor. The door closed and the whole building was silent save for the slight hum of the computers inside the security station. Ahmad and Gregory exchanged anxious glances, Gregory holding up the Kessler pistol as examining it closely.

"You sure you can handle that?" Ahmad asked unexpectedly, pulling the pump back on his shotgun as if to prove he could handle his weapon. Gregory nodded, lowering the pistol and looking towards Ahmad.

This whole situation was unbelievable. He could not fathom the idea that they were under attack but it seemed that was the case, Gregory swivelling his chair back around to face the computer monitors and the camera feeds they showed. Cameras were going offline every ten seconds or so, all of them outside cameras and none of them able to supply a good view of who or what was making them switch off.

Ahmad got out of his seat and walked over to Gregory, looking over his shoulder and towards the rapidly shutting down camera feeds. This was enough proof of attack that he needed, Ahmad holding the shotgun up and into a ready position as he pulled up a chair and sat down beside Gregory, his gaze switching back and forth between the monitors and the room's door.

Gregory could feel his hands shaking, betraying his fear to anyone who could see him. They were under attack, no doubt about that, but who or what was doing it was unknown. It could be anyone of any species, whether they are krogan mercenaries, human smugglers or batarian pirates. Either one spelt bad news but it was the reason of attack that stumped Gregory. This facility had existed for a number of years now and was probably kept secret, well out of public records if Ahmad's musings to its true purpose are to be believed. So how could such insignificant groups like smugglers and mercs discover its whereabouts and purpose? Maybe they didn't know the purpose, maybe they were simply pirates who had spotted it during an orbital sweep and decided to raid it, unaware of who the facility belonged to and why it was here.

Regardless of who they were they were coming and they were shutting down the cameras as they went. Gregory felt his grip tighten on his pistol as he watched camera feeds disappear one by one. First it had been the cameras watching the base's southern approach, followed by those in the compound's perimeter. Now it was the ones near the guard posts, followed by the ones right outside of the facility.

Neither of them spoke for what seemed like an eternity, Ahmad's gaze shifting to the door and Gregory's grip tightening ever more n his Kessler pistol. It was as silent as the grave inside this room, the hum of the computers having diminished entirely or simply blocked out of the pair's minds. No word from Lassay yet and somehow Gregory doubted they would be getting any sort of "word" from Lassay anytime soon, same going for the guards outside. The only cameras remaining were those inside the surface facility, seeing as there were no cameras down in the underground storage area.

The sudden crackling of the desk radio broke the silence and almost scared the life out of the two security guards in the room who, upon realizing what it was, calmed down and sought to find out what was going on, Gregory opening the channel on the radio.

"_We have hostile forces inside the compound! I repeat, we have hostile forces inside the compound!"_ It was the voice of one of the guards who was yelling over what sounded to be weapons fire and shouting. An explosion rang from somewhere in the background throughout the signal and a few of the shouting voices ended abruptly.

"_Damn it! We need backup now! Is anybody hearing this? We need backup, there's too many of them! I don't know who they are but they're all—"_

The voice ended abruptly, the sound of a sniper rifle firing audible throughout the mess of battle noises over the signal. Seconds after the voice was silenced the radio itself was silenced, the signal reducing to nothing but the hiss of static.

Gregory switched it off, no longer interested in listening. He and Ahmad had both heard enough, enough to prove that they were definitely under attack. Gregory could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest and a few beads of sweat running down his brow as he turned to Ahmad, who simply frowned and stepped towards the door.

"Whoever they are that's attacking we don't stand a chance against them," Ahmad said. Gregory felt like saying that how Ahmad was speaking was defeatist in nature but somehow Gregory couldn't find the courage to speak out against his friend's downbeat manner. They both knew that if the guards outside were having trouble then a couple of security guards like them would stand less of a chance.

"We should head over to the garage and get the Mako," Ahmad said, "It's our only chance."

Gregory found himself nodding in agreement. Why stand around and wait to get shot when you could make a quick getaway and hopefully not end up stranded out in the icy wastes of Klensal? The thought of being cowards crossed Gregory's mind but it was only for a moment. Self-preservation always came first, regardless of what other people said. It was human nature to put one's self first, everyone knew that.

Gregory turned around and took a look at the camera feeds one last time in the hopes of catching a glimpse of whoever was doing this. Much to his terror all but one camera feed had been lost; it was the one that remained was showing the feed from the camera just outside, positioned in the hallway. Ahmad noticed this too and the pair watched with ever-increasing desperation as a bunch of black armour-clad soldiers walked into view, their whole bodies encased in this dark armour which seemed to be the medium to heavy type. It looked bulky but the three soldiers in view didn't seem to be affected much by the bulkiness, moving with surprising speed and in an orderly formation as they moved down the corridor. Their faces were hidden behind helmets with visible breathing apparatuses that stuck out slightly, the visor an eerie green and seeming to glow. They certainly looked to be intimidating fighters, their rifles held tightly to their chests, ignoring the camera completely. None so much as moved their heads as they marched past, displaying a severe amount of discipline in doing so. The sounds of their organized footsteps could be heard inside the corridor, Gregory and Ahmad exchanging glances. They both realized there was nothing stopping the soldiers from walking into the room and simply gunning the both of them down.

Relief surged through the two of them as the soldiers continued past but that relief was short-lived. The camera feed from the hallway camera cut out abruptly and the sound of more footsteps could be heard outside. Most were almost in unison, belonging to more of the well-disciplined armour-clad soldiers but there was one set of footsteps that was out of step with the rest as if they belonged to someone entirely different. Those footsteps stopped just outside the door as if the person they belonged to was thinking of whether he or she should check out this room.

Gregory was about to whisper to Ahmad to lock the door when his friend turned around and raised the shotgun, the pair watching as the door slid open. The figure behind it was dressed in some sort of blue-black suit of armour and wasn't wearing a helmet like the other soldiers and instead managed a glance towards the pair of security guards. Before Gregory could react Ahmad had fired, the figure through the doorway sidestepping as soon as Ahmad pulled the shotgun's trigger. The shots left a scorch mark on the wall through the doorway but the figure out in the hallway who was no longer in view was unharmed and whether that was for the better or not was impossible to tell: the whole place had fallen silent, all sets of footsteps out in the hallway having suddenly stopped.

Ahmad stepped forwards before Gregory had a chance to talk him down. There was a sudden movement through the doorway, it was the man again and this time he had a pistol drawn and raised. There was a flash and a gunshot and a spray of blood hit Gregory in the side of the face, part of Ahmad's back exploding outwards in a bloody cloud. Shredder rounds worked well against unarmoured organic targets and Ahmad was just that, the shot having torn right through his ribcage and shredded up into several separate, razor-sharp projectiles which cut through his flesh with ease. Gregory stumbled backwards in surprise, wiping his friend's blood away with one hand while holding the pistol out feebly with the other.

For a moment Gregory thought of shooting back in the vain effort of avenging his friend's death, Ahmad having fallen to one side and knocked over a chair. Gregory wanted to avenge Lassay's death as well seeing as all signs implied that notion. However, some stronger thought stopped Gregory from pulling the trigger and creating his own death warrant since soon enough the man had stepped into the room, his blue eyes scanning the small room and then resting on Gregory.

The man must have been six foot four, well-built and broad shouldered. He had close cropped blonde hair to go with those blue eyes of his but despite these typical good looks he actually looked quite malevolent. There was a darker purpose in those eyes of his but Gregory didn't have long to examine them before a pair of the armour-clad soldiers burst into the room.

With a slight accent the man directed the pair of soldiers towards Gregory and within seconds Gregory felt the gun pulled from his right hand and thrown to the floor. Each soldier grabbed an arm in a surprisingly strong, vice-like grip and they began to drag him out of the room, quite literally.

Gregory didn't bother struggling. He had the firm belief that these two soldiers could simply break his neck if he began to be too much of a nuisance to them so he let them carry him down the corridor, the blonde-haired man following closely. They arrived at the main elevator, Gregory noticing how several of the armour-clad soldiers were standing fixed in place by the elevator, standing guard and not moving a single muscle. All of them still had their helmets on despite the fact the atmosphere inside the facility was breathable.

"Take this one down as well," the blonde-haired man told the soldiers holding Gregory, "he might be of some assistance."

The soldiers didn't reply and Gregory watched as the blonde-haired man entered the elevator before both soldiers dragged Gregory inside as well. The doors closed and the man, whistling a somewhat familiar tune, pressed a button on the panel by the door and the elevator started moving.

The blonde-haired man looked down at Gregory with only slight interest. The elevator ride seemed to be going on for an awfully long time and so the man stopped whistling and was busying himself by twirling about his pistol in his right hand, spinning it around much like the gunslingers did in the old Western movies. Whoever this man was he had some obvious finesse with a pistol which might explain why he had been so quick at shooting Ahmad and not getting shot himself.

The elevator suddenly stopped and the doors opened, revealing a vast and dimly lit expanse in some sort of underground cavern. Metal support beams lined the walls but that was the least of Gregory's interests in this new room, one which he had never before seen. He realized this must be the storage area, the existence of which he had doubted for some time. Ahmad had been right about the amount of crates inside here, they were stacked up high on rows and rows of shelves.

The blonde-haired man was first out of the elevator. He stopped just outside the doorway and gazed around at the large room, taking in everything he could see. His put his pistol back into his waist holster and muttered something to himself, something which Gregory heard quite well in the silence of the cavern.

"How the hell are we going to find it in this mess?"


	2. Underground

Security Officer Gregory Hardman was let go, quite literally, falling forwards and having to support himself on the hard floor with his hands. The muscles in his arms ached from all the pulling and dragging the two soldiers that had been holding him had been doing. He was surprisingly tired, as if he had just run a marathon although in actual fact he hadn't done much physical activity tonight, if not at all.

It had started subtlety enough, with the camera feeds going out one by one. Then the two guards had been sent to investigate, only to go missing as well. Timothy Lassay had gone out with a shotgun to take a look himself and he hadn't returned either. These armour-clad soldiers had soon arrived as well, marching in along with their obvious leader who was dressed quite differently and wasn't wearing a helmet. That helmet was tucked under one of the man's arms as he stood in the middle of a small aisle between stacks of crates, looking around with the purpose of finding one in particular. There were about five of the armour-clad soldiers standing nearby, tall and rigid and showing no signs of movement. Gregory didn't think that could be humanly possible but then again these soldiers still had their helmets on even though the air in here was perfectly breathable.

A thought occurred to Gregory then and there that maybe these soldiers, save for the blonde-haired man with the accent, weren't actually human. Maybe they were some sort of humanoid alien race or maybe they weren't organic at all…That would make sense more so than thinking they were actually human. Regardless of whether they were human or not Gregory knew they would kill him if he tried making a nuisance of himself. The blonde-haired man didn't seem to care much for the security guard who was now their prisoner and didn't even bother looking back at Gregory, instead he stepped over to one of the crates at the bottom of one pile and read the label on it quietly to himself, moving towards the next one. He stopped, frowned and said something under his breath which sounded foreign. Whatever it was it had most certainly been a swear word of some kind since the man went on to kick the nearest crate, the metal of the container thumping loudly. Unaffected by the obvious pain that would have followed in his foot the man shuffled over towards Gregory, looking down with some obvious anger, those typical good-looks of his scrunched into a malevolent snarl.

"What the fuck were you people thinking?" The insults came thick and fast but not as fast as the punch which struck Gregory across the jaw, sending him keeling over backwards only for the two soldiers behind him to catch him mid-fall and hoist him back up and onto his knees. Now Gregory's jaw ached dully and he felt like swearing back at the man but something told him this wouldn't be a wise idea.

"You fucking Alliance people are all the same," the man continued, "you don't even know how to organize some boxes in a neat, well-coordinated fashion. Do you know what you're doing, huh? Because I think you don't." The man's accent was quite noticeable now; something told Gregory it was either German or Austrian. His guess led him closer to assuming it was the latter.

Gregory didn't reply to the man's obvious intimidation and remained silent, now able to taste blood in his mouth from a cut that had formed during the punch. He spat, the bloody spittle landing at the man's feet but surprisingly the German or Austrian man didn't respond. Instead he turned around and began pacing back and forth, muttering to himself as he did so. Gregory couldn't hear much of it but from what he could hear he guessed it was something to do with the fact none of these crates were organized properly.

While the German or Austrian man was busy pacing Gregory managed a look around, the soldiers behind him letting him go again. He relaxed onto his knees, thinking whether or not it was actually worth trying to escape. This German or Austrian man was obviously off the rails but important enough to be in charge of these soldiers. Maybe the blonde-haired man had been expecting things to be a little more straightforward?

Something that Gregory couldn't quite understand was why they had spared him. He wouldn't be much help if things were to do with this vast underground storage area since Gregory hadn't even known that it had actually existed until tonight. Ahmad had always told him it was there and full of secrets but Gregory had always been doubtful of this. Now he knew the truth: it existed and was full of metals crates and containers rather than secrets. Unless, of course, these "secrets" were being kept inside these crates and containers but how many "secrets" could there be? There were way too many crates and containers inside here and it would take days for them to be all opened and searched. Maybe that was why the blonde-haired German or Austrian man was so upset: he comes here, to Klensal, with the intent of finding something in particular only to be thwarted when he realizes that there are so many crates and containers but no actual filing or other organization system. That might be because the Alliance people who send these crates and containers here have no reason to ever recover them again. That was saying something of the sensitivity of their contents but Gregory's thoughts about this were soon interrupted when a voice, not familiar but certainly not belonging to the German or Austrian man and not to the soldiers spoke up from somewhere behind him.

"What are you people doing here?" The voice was that of a man's and sounded frightened.

Gregory turned his head and saw, just off to his left, another prisoner. This one was of a man who looked to be in his mid-fifties and with greying hair. He was dressed in the uniform of the science team that was stationed here in the facility and rather than be a quiet and subdued prisoner like Gregory was this scientist had started yelling.

"What do you people want? We have nothing here that could interest you!" The scientist sounded desperate, close to pleading for his life. Gregory had the urge to tell the scientist to shut up since there was every chance his yelling could annoy the blonde-haired man and give him an excuse to shoot the both of them. One thing Gregory didn't want to do was die a prisoner. One thing his father had told him, time and again, was that dying as a prisoner was not a good way to go.

"There is nothing here that could possibly be worth anything to you!" The scientist shouted, "There's just junk here, that's all! Junk!"

The German or Austrian man turned around and shook his head, almost in a pitying manner. He approached the scientist and for a moment Gregory thought he would pull out his gun and shoot the scientist right between the eyes but this didn't happen. Rather, the blonde-haired man stopped in front of the kneeling scientist and smiled.

"Liars don't rank highly on my list of favourite people," The man said, leaning forwards and looking down at the scientist who managed to move back slightly, afraid he was going to get punched or struck in some other manner.

"You're lying to me, professor," The blonde-haired man continued, shaking his head again and standing back up straight. He paused for a moment, thinking about what he should do about the whingeing scientist and Gregory managed to catch a glimpse of the man's hand go for his holstered pistol. It dwindled there for a moment before falling away from it, as if the man knew that killing the scientist would make things more difficult than they already were.

"Nothing in here is junk, professor," the blonde-haired man said, gesturing with one arm towards the nearest stack of crates, "that's why I and some of my loyal soldiers are here. If there was simply 'junk' here, as you refer to it, I and my soldiers wouldn't be here. I'm afraid, though, that if you keep lying to me professor I may have to shoot you."

The scientist moved back a little more, cowering against the wall behind him. He didn't look up as the blonde-haired man followed him and didn't even manage a single glance at him as he bent his knees and became level with the cowering scientist.

"Tell me, professor, what do you do here? On Klensal?" The Austrian or German man was smiling, obviously enjoying his tormenting of the scientist. The scientist opened his eyes, having been expecting some sort of gunshot to end his life here and now but was surprised when this didn't happen.

"We ruh-ruh-research this planet and take samples and—"

The blonde-haired man held up a hand, signalling the scientist to stop talking. The man thought about what the scientist had said and shook his head, once again in that near pitying manner of his.

"You're lying to me again, professor," the man said, smiling a malevolent smile, "do you seriously expect me to believe that a well-respected scientist such as you researches samples of rock and ice?" The thought seemed to amuse the man somewhat since he chuckled. "That's bullshit, professor, and you know it." He prodded an accusing finger into the scientist's chest and laughed when the scientist winced.

"Tell me the truth, professor," the blonde-haired man continued, "here, in this facility which is located on some out of the way planet such as this, what do you and your science team actually research?"

The scientist was silent for a moment, shaking his head in a resigned manner. Gregory had been listening to the whole discussion and couldn't help but think that maybe there had been more to this facility than he had first assumed. The scientist was quite obviously hiding the truth in a somewhat feeble effort and this blonde-haired man with the German or Austrian accent was enjoying squeezing the truth out of him.

"Wuh-wuh-we research what's being stored here," the scientist said, a reluctant looking expression on his face, "there are…some, uh, _interesting_ things being kuh-kuh-kept here…"

The Austrian or German man thought about what the scientist was saying, his face creased into a thoughtful expression. He patted the scientist on the shoulder, the man's mood having gone from angry to a somewhat calmer one.

"Very good, professor," the blonde-haired man said, smiling while he said it, "you finally told the truth. It's funny, a lot of you scientists are just such good liars, don't you agree?"

The scientist had no choice but to nod his head in agreement despite the fact he obviously disagreed strongly.

"Now, tell me, what can I expect to find in a place such as this?" The blonde-haired man kept smiling but stood back up, looking down at the scientist who was still cowering by the wall but a little calmer now.

"What are you looking for?"

This question was obviously what the German or Austrian man had been expecting since he reached into a pouch hanging from his waist and retrieved what looked to be some sort of photo. It was an old style photo developed from the outdated method of using film meaning it wasn't done with a digital camera. He handed the photo to the scientist who took it and looked at it for a moment, his eyes widening with surprise.

Gregory felt like he should know what these people were after but he knew that if he moved he might get shot. It seemed they mightn't need his help after all, not that Gregory would be able to supply much since he knew nothing about what was being kept down here. The scientist was probably the only one they needed to help them find what they were after, whatever the hell _that_ was. For some reason Gregory had the feeling that they weren't done with him yet, having spared him for a reason. Hopefully a good reason as well since that way he might remain alive a bit longer.

"You're looking for _that_?" the scientist said just as the blonde-haired man snatched back the photo, putting it back into its pouch. "We don't even know if it's the real thing…"

"I'll know if it's the real thing," the blonde-haired man replied with a smile, "so, professor, do you know where it is? That way I and my men can get it and leave and maybe we'll spare you and the security guard…I'll give you a moment to think through your answer, professor."  
Gregory winced at the way the German or Austrian man referred to him but knew that the only way he would get out of this alive is whether or not these soldiers and their leader would get what they were after.

The scientist, however, looked glum. He was frowning and deep in his own thoughts, having fallen silent while the blonde-haired man waited patiently for a response.

While the scientist was thinking this through the blonde-haired man turned his gaze towards Gregory, although Gregory didn't look back. Instead, he kept his head down and tried to avoid eye-contact, knowing that would probably be enough of an excuse for this off-the-rails German or Austrian man to kill him.

"You may be thinking about why you're still alive," the German or Austrian man said, a hand moving to Gregory's chin and forcing his head up so his gaze was up at the blonde-haired man with the malevolent blue eyes. "One thing I don't like is when people don't look at me when I'm talking to them, do you understand?"

The hand left Gregory's face, allowing him to nod in response. He wasn't about to give this man the satisfaction of verbal communication but this matter didn't seem to affect the German or Austrian man much. Instead, he continued speaking in a surprisingly calm tone unlike when he had first arrived here.

"Good, I'm glad you understand," the blonde-haired man continued. He paused for a moment before continuing, "by the way, my name's Dieter. You can call me that if you ever feel like speaking up, security guard."

Gregory nodded again. _Dieter and nothing else, _he thought,_ smart move, not giving me your last name. If I ever got out of here and reported this, the authorities would never be able to find you without a last name…_

"What's your name, security guard? Or do I have to keep calling you 'security guard' all the time?"

Gregory realized that if he didn't answer Dieter would probably kill him or, at the very least, punches him again. Gregory's jaw was still throbbing as a result of the last punch so he decided to reply but limited the amount of words in his answers.

"Gregory Hardman…"

Dieter smiled, patting Gregory on the shoulder and giving an expression one would usually give when they had met a long lost friend.

"Gregory Hardman! Pleasure to meet you!" Dieter held out a hand in an offer to shake but Gregory merely looked at it and shifted his gaze away from the hand and Dieter as well, preferring to look towards the rough stone wall to their left.

Dieter dropped the hand and lost his smile although he didn't seem to lose his temper. Rather he looked down at Gregory with a slightly agitated gaze, snapping his fingers in front of the security guard's face.

"Mr. Hardman, look at me when I'm speaking with you!" Dieter spoke in a sort of mocking tone, reaching down with one hand and turning Gregory's head so that he faced Dieter again. Gregory didn't like being manhandled like this but there was little he could do about it so he decided that he would take it and try not to lose his cool. Dieter was obviously trying to get on his nerves or maybe he was just really moody, it was impossible to tell. Regardless, Gregory knew he would have to be careful with how he replied or moved. Dieter was on obvious loose cannon and could shoot him whenever he felt like it.

Dieter removed his hand from Gregory's face, letting the security guard relax a little. This seemed to provide an ample excuse for Dieter to start talking again, seemingly having forgotten all about the scientist who was still cowering by the wall, his gaze removed from everyone else in the room. The armour-clad soldiers standing rigidly nearby paid no attention to Dieter and Gregory, or the scientist for that matter, which was enough of a reason for Gregory to assume those soldiers weren't actually human.

"Gregory…you don't mind if I call you Gregory, do you?" Dieter said, almost innocently, his mood having changed again. Gregory shook his head and Dieter smiled. "You and I could get to be really good friends, Gregory, just don't try and escape. If you did that, I might have to kill you and I really wouldn't want to do that to someone like you…"

For a second Gregory believed Dieter but that belief diminished when he looked up and into the German or Austrian's blue eyes, seeing malevolence and darkness they contained. This man was not to be trusted, even if he sounded like he was telling the truth. Men like Dieter would probably be good at lying.

"Tell me, Gregory, do you know the true purpose of this whole facility? Did you even know of the existence of this underground level?" Dieter had taken on an inquisitive tone, expecting an answer and probably a thorough one at that from Gregory.

The security guard thought for a moment, well aware of what answer he would give but not quite sure how he should respond. Should he even be answering Dieter's questions? All indications lead Gregory to believe that Dieter wouldn't be hesitant about killing him if he became uncooperative so he decided to answer to the best of his ability. He was unable to keep the uncertainty out of his voice, the memories of Ahmad's death were still quite fresh in his mind.

"I wasn't told about the underground level," Gregory replied, his gaze moving to the cowering scientist briefly. Their eyes met and Gregory could see the fear in the scientist, the very fear that meant that no matter what Gregory said to Dieter the scientist would be killed. They both would be killed once they were no longer useful, no matter how Dieter was acting towards Gregory now. It was all a front for whatever his true agenda was and which, from what Gregory could tell, concerned finding a certain item in storage here.

"Why not, do you think?" Dieter asked, Gregory looking up at the semi-crazy German or Austrian and noticing that his eyes had lit up a bit now. "You were assigned to guard this place, but what exactly were you guarding? What did they tell you this place was for?"

"It was a research facility to research this planet, take rock samples, air samples, all that kind of thing…" Gregory realized that what he had been told all about this facility had been a lie. Only the scientists and Lassay knew, as well as Ahmad to some extent. Gregory and the other guards, most of them being trained soldiers, had been "left out of the loop" as some would put it. They had been assigned to guard a research facility and all were fairly certain that's what it was and most were in no position to care much as long as they were paid. Now it seemed there was much more to this facility than originally made out to be…

"They were lying to you, Gregory," Dieter said, his eyes wide and bright as if he had had a sudden and immense realization, "they only wanted your services and nothing else. They were lying to you the whole time, Gregory! The scientists knew! And so did the guy in charge! But you and all the other security guards and trained soldiers weren't told the truth. Does that annoy you, Gregory?"

For a moment Gregory did feel angry. If he had known the full truth and not just some guesses from his friend Ahmad maybe he would have tried a little bit harder at getting a transfer. If he had known that some third party led by a loose cannon of a man would arrive and kill a whole bunch of fellow colleagues then maybe Gregory would have preferred to stay off of Klensal. The Alliance had been liars to him and everybody but the scientists and Lassay, something of which made him feel alienated, used even. He _had_ been used, convinced that his services were needed to guard this shitty little facility on an icy ball of rock in some far out system nobody outside of it gave a crap about.

That's when Gregory realized exactly what Dieter was trying to do. The German or Austrian was trying to get him on his side, to think almost like him and support him. The security guard had almost fallen for it and had been on the verge of agreeing with Dieter which would have been a grave mistake, yes, a very grave mistake indeed…

"It doesn't make me angry," Gregory replied much to Dieter's surprised, "it only makes me feel…betrayed."

Dieter seemed to think about this for a moment before he continued, unfazed by Gregory's unexpected answer and still in his bright-eyed mood.

"Would you like to know the truth about this place, Gregory?" Dieter asked, leaning forwards slightly, "the truth that the scientists and whole Alliance hid from you?"

Gregory did want to know the truth but he didn't want to voice that out loud. He was afraid of agreeing with Dieter but when he started thinking about this more it began to make more sense. What was wrong with learning the truth? It couldn't be much different from what Ahmad had guessed at numerous times but Ahmad himself certainly wasn't a reliable source.

"I'll tell you the truth Gregory," Dieter said, "regardless of whether you want to know. Besides, you know what they say? _Knowledge is power_…"

Dieter turned around, turning his back on Gregory for a moment and gesturing towards the stacks of crates that unfolded before them, filling most of the vast cavernous space they were in. The light fixtures up in the ceiling cast a shadowy glow over the containers and crates as well as whatever they contained.

"This is where the Alliance, the Alliance _you_ served and the Alliance that lied to you, Gregory, keeps all its secrets!" Dieter shot him a crazed look, one that the security guard usually associated with people who were high on some euphoric drug, one that made them believe they were a god or something…

"Everything the Alliance and the human race in general wants kept hidden from prying public eyes and other species is kept here!" Dieter scanned the cavernous expanse before him with wide open eyes and an awed expression. "This isn't the only 'Secure Storage Facility' in existence, there are plenty more but this is the one which contains what I and my organization are after. The very item that will ensure our survival in a bleak future filled with chaos and destruction!"

_This guy is nuts_, Gregory thought, trying hard to contain his laughter. Despite all that had happened tonight, with all the killing and the punch he had received, Gregory couldn't help but find this Dieter guy quite amusing. He was crazy, his eyes filled with delusions of grandeur or whatever else you called it. Dieter had a problem, that was for sure, but he had been right about the lies the Alliance had been telling him and the other guards and soldiers. Even if there were secrets being kept down here Gregory sincerely doubted they had anything to do with this "bleak future" Dieter had just mentioned.

Dieter turned around, looking towards the security guard with crazed eyes.

"I've seen it in my dreams, Gregory! Whole skies filled with them, the very bringers of chaos, death and destruction themselves!" Dieter, once he had said this, suddenly seemed to calm down, his eyes returning to their normal, darkened state. He looked towards Gregory thoughtfully, as if expecting the security guard to agree or, at the very least, say something.

"What better place to store the most sensitive items of a whole governing power than on some out of the way planet where only the toughest microbes can live on?" Dieter asked, although it was more in the manner of a rhetorical question than one Gregory was expected to answer.

"You could hide anything here and the chances of someone finding it would be next to impossible!" Dieter laughed, a crazed, maniacal laugh which was enough to send a chill down Gregory's spine. "The Alliance is afraid of some of these items falling into the wrong hands but, let me assure you Gregory that I am not the 'wrong hands'. You have to understand that what I and my men are doing here is for the good of the human race and for the good of our future."

Dieter paused a moment, his gaze moving towards the scientist again and then back to Gregory. The scientist was sitting against the wall, calmly now and no longer cowering.

"I would have happily gone to fetch this 'package' I'm after myself, but it seems that the Alliance simply dumped their items down here without any sort of organizational system. It'll be impossible to find anything down here unless there was a great big arrow floating in the air and pointing towards it." Dieter shook his head, once again in that pitying manner of his. "I tried to get into the computer systems here but it seems they're surprisingly well protected and thus I wasn't able to get much helpful information from them. This is why I've kept the professor here alive, for now of course…"  
Gregory wasn't quite sure whether Dieter was talking to him or not, the German or Austrian man's gaze having shifted towards the scientist who started whimpering quietly when he heard the latter part of what Dieter said. The German or Austrian man simply gave an innocent smile towards the scientist before turning his gaze back to Gregory.

"How would you like to be the one to go and fetch the package once I find out where it is exactly?" Dieter asked, smiling a surprisingly truthful smile which lacked that malevolence of his.

Gregory wasn't in a position to refuse, deciding to play it safe by agreeing. Dieter nodded in response and walked over to the scientist, using his right hand to hoist to scientist onto his feet by the collar and pinning him against the wall. The scientist yelped, almost helplessly and quite obviously fearing for his own life.

"Tell me, professor, where is it? What I showed you on the photo?" Dieter sounded angry now, as if all that happy-go-lucky and craziness had worn off as soon as he had stopped talking to Gregory. He pulled the scientist by the collar a little more and strangely enough, if Gregory's eyes weren't deceiving him, the scientist's feet lifted off the floor. Not by much, maybe about an inch or two, but it was still quite noticeable.

How could someone do that? They would have to be incredibly strong and Dieter looked well-built under the light armour he wore but otherwise he was just like any other soldier Gregory had seen. They were nothing too special, just enough to be able to get the job done in a fight. Gregory decided he wouldn't try thinking about it much more; he was already confused enough as it was. Tonight he had been punched, dragged and told a hell of a lot he hadn't known about this facility, having learnt that all he had previously known about it had been lies. That was typical, he guessed, you couldn't even trust your own superiors…

"I know you know where it is, professor, so don't lie to me," Dieter said, his voice taking on a menacing tone, "don't try giving me any fakes either. I'll know if it's the real thing or not."  
The scientist, scared out of his mind and with the clear belief that he would be dead regardless of what he said to Dieter, replied in a croaking, squeaky voice. The confidence had all but left him and as if to prove this a darkened puddle had begun to form at his crotch in his blue standard-issue uniform trousers. Dieter ignored this, much more intent on squeezing the information he wanted from the scientist by any means necessary.

"It's…It's in a container marked BMH-0018…"

Dieter dropped the scientist abruptly, letting the middle-aged lab-coated man to start cowering by the wall again. He was terrified but the German or Austrian didn't notice, instead looking down at the scientist and frowning.

"Could you pinpoint the location of this container for us, professor?" Dieter asked, "Or is that impossible, considering these crates and containers aren't in any sort of organized setup?"

The scientist looked up, his face grave. It was as if he knew his death was coming and had resigned fighting, simply glaring at the German or Austrian man and shaking his head.

"It's not here…"

Dieter's face contorted into a snarl and once again he picked up the scientist by the collar, pinning him to the wall. The scientist yelped almost helplessly but Dieter took no notice and instead started yelling angrily. He hadn't been expecting news like this and so was now very angry that this was the case. Gregory even felt some surprise, closing his eyes when the scientist's words registered in his mind. How could it not be here? Dieter and these soldiers had come all the way here, to Klensal, with the sole purpose of getting this container and it just so turns out it's not here! No wonder Dieter looked like his head was about to explode. Gregory guessed that the scientist would be killed now that it was obvious he was no longer useful. Gregory realized his death would soon follow and Dieter and his soldiers would leave their bodies down here, heading back up to the surface and leaving by whatever methods they had arrived by.

"Where the fuck is it, then?" Dieter said, his grip tightening on the scientist's collar. The scientist looked far too frightened to reply but after a few seconds he did manage to form a broken sentence, one that was enough of a reply for Dieter.

"It…wuh-wuh-was muh-muh-moved…Last week…"

"Where to?" Dieter had lifted the scientist off of the floor by a few inches again and Gregory was still trying to figure out why the German or Austrian was strong enough to do that.

"Talerian…" The scientist was barely able to say the word, his voice more of a gasp for air than anything else. Not only was Dieter holding him by the collar but now the German or Austrian had him by the throat and was slowly constricting his airways, the scientist's face taking on a red tinge.

"Where?"

Dieter hadn't heard the word and in response had tightened his grip a little more around the scientist's throat. The scientist himself was quite literally gasping for air, beginning to writhe about where he was held. Both his hands went to Dieter's one at his throat but this attempt at struggle was futile.

"A secured…facility…Talerian…"

Dieter heard this, his face relaxing and nodding in approval. Rather than let the scientist go and drop to the floor he pulled the scientist away from the wall and threw him towards his right. Gregory watched with some surprise as the scientist was hurled into a stack of metal crates, knocking a few of them over before disappearing behind them, no longer visible from where Gregory knelt. Dieter didn't take any notice in the scientist's fate, merely brushing his hands against his armour and turning around, looking towards Gregory with a neutral and carefree expression. Gregory looked back, their gaze meeting for a moment.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine," Dieter said, most probably referring to the scientist he had thrown aside with superhuman strength. "You will be fine as well, just as long as you don't do anything stupid."

Gregory simply nodded, having no intention of doing anything "stupid" as Dieter had put it. Dieter approached the kneeling security guard and simply looked down at him, some interest crossing his face.

"Stand up," he said simply. Gregory slowly rose to his feet but kept his hands on his head, noticing how the several possibly non-human armour-clad soldiers had all turned their heads to look at him.

"Put your hands down, I know you won't try fighting," Dieter said and so Gregory took his hands off of his hand, letting them rest naturally by his sides. He had no clue as to what Dieter's intentions with him were but he doubted they would be anything good. Getting on the wrong side of Dieter would probably be a huge mistake seeing as the German or Austrian man could toss aside people as if they were simply rag-dolls. How he did that was beyond Gregory's knowledge and deep down inside the security guard he could feel some sort of curiosity begging him to ask how. Humans were naturally curious, just like cats were.

"Have you ever been to Talerian, Gregory?" Dieter asked, reaching into a pouch at his waist and opening it. For a moment Gregory thought he might have been reaching for a weapon but was relieved to find that it was simply a pack of cigarettes that Dieter removed from the pouch and not a knife. Dieter casually put the end of one cigarette into his mouth and lit the end with a lighter he had retrieved from the same pouch. Putting the lighter away he puffed a few times on the cigarette, the smoke getting into Gregory's eyes and making them water slightly. Gregory didn't complain about the smoke though and simply stood listening to what the German or Austrian had to say.

"I…I've never heard of the place…" Gregory replied hesitantly, unsure of whether Dieter had been expecting an answer or not.

Dieter grunted in an understanding manner, taking the cigarette away from his mouth and shrugging.

"Figures. It's a shitty little world in a cluster near the Sol System," Dieter said, "but we're going to have to go there if we are to track down this package, my friend."  
Gregory frowned at the way Dieter used the term "we're" as if he was referring to himself and Gregory. The addition of the words "my friend" while obviously referring to Gregory further help heighten the security guard's uncertainties about what was coming.  
"You see, Gregory," Dieter said, taking on an understanding tone and showing no sign of his previous anger, "if I were to walk around the streets of the settlement there with some of my soldiers, chances are I'll get noticed. But if _you_ did the searching and ran some errands for us we would receive very minimal attention. Do you follow what I'm saying?"

Gregory nodded. It seemed that at least he would survive this encounter but somehow he didn't think it was worth being made to work for this loose-cannon of a man. Dieter was dangerous and so were his soldiers, regardless of whether those soldiers were human or not. Tonight they had killed a several trained Alliance soldiers as well as Lassay and Ahmad which lead Gregory to assume that the only reason he was still alive was because of simple luck.

"Don't worry, none of what you will do for us should be very dangerous," Dieter said, "hell, maybe I'll let you go after the package we're after on Talerian. Time will tell, though, my dear friend Gregory…"

Gregory didn't say anything in response. Dieter didn't look to have been expecting an answer and merely smiled while putting the smoking cigarette he had in his right hand back into his mouth. He puffed some more before turning around and stepping towards the elevator, pressing the "call elevator" button on the panel by it. The doors opened and Dieter stepped inside, turning around and gesturing for Gregory to follow. For a second Gregory was hesitant, having expected the armour-clad soldiers standing near him to have gone in before him but Dieter sensed what he was getting at and merely shook his head.

"Don't worry about them, Gregory," Dieter said, "they still have some things do to down here. You and I, on the other hand, do not. So come into the elevator and we can talk a little bit."  
Gregory didn't seem to have much of a choice and so walked on into the elevator, the doors closing behind him. Dieter, at this proximity, certainly seemed taller than Gregory. He was almost a head taller than the security guard and smelt of expensive deodorizer, implying that Dieter was one with expensive tastes and good funds.

The elevator started on its way up to the surface facility a few seconds later. This was enough of an excuse to make Dieter start talking even if Gregory didn't feel like a conversation with someone who had just lead a raid that had killed a few close friends.

"You realize, my friend Gregory, that the Alliance is run by incompetent fools?" Dieter asked, although this was more of a rhetorical question than a proper one. Gregory didn't answer and didn't need to anyway, Dieter continuing along on his own accord.

"They've been trying to get their seat on the galactic council for some time but I, and many others, don't see the point. I personally believe us humans should put this Council business aside and ignore them completely. The alien species, you see, have no idea what's coming which is why I came here, Gregory.

"I came here looking for something, something that I and my associates have been tracking for a long time now. With it us humans can protect ourselves from the bleak future and let the other races burn, in a quite literal fashion."

Gregory didn't say anything. Already, in his mind, he could tell that this Dieter was an alien-hating bigot who thought he could see the future. How he could have had only been hinted at and yet how could a crazy man who has dreams about a so-called "future" have the resources to host a raid like the one that had occurred here tonight? Gregory realized that, throughout history, many "crazy" people had reached positions of power. Take all those dictators from the twentieth century, such as in Nazi Germany and early 21st century Venezuela. Dieter was probably no different, with all the necessary resources at his disposal which more or less enabled him to do as he pleased. For all Gregory knew Dieter probably held some sort of position of power, whether it be the military, government or something else.

"You may not accept the methods my soldiers went to so I could gain access to this facility but you shouldn't blame them. After all, the guards here would have fought us and made us suffer unnecessary casualties. The deaths that occurred here tonight are really just a minor pitfall in the plans I and my associates have created to ensure the survival of the human race."

Dieter's words were going through one of Gregory's ears and out the other. The man was a moody lunatic and so didn't deserve to be listened to, although just in case Gregory was asked any questions he made sure to keep enough tabs on Dieter's ramblings so that he could answer to a reasonable standard. Thankfully the elevator stopped, Dieter stopping his talking as the pair of them stepped out into the corridor beyond, close to the room where Ahmad's corpse lay.

_You killed him, you crazy German…_

Gregory remembered something that had been nagging away at his mind ever since he had met Dieter and it was a simple enough question, one that hopefully Dieter wouldn't mind answer.

"Uh, Dieter?"

"Yes?"

Gregory tried to find a non-offensive way of putting the question. He had no way of knowing that Dieter would kill him or not regardless but he doubted it, the German or Austrian had seemed to settle on what he wanted Gregory to do.

"Are you German? You certainly sound it…"  
Dieter heard the question and laughed. It was a light-hearted chuckle with no malevolent undertones but unsurprisingly it didn't last for very long.

"I'm Austrian, you idiot."


	3. The Turian

**Location: **Embassy Bar, Presidium, Citadel

Three weeks after the events of the last chapter

"I need another drink…"

The bartender, a dark-skinned male human in the typical civilian clothing of a citizen of the massive Citadel station, merely raised an eyebrow at this request. This reaction didn't help the turian who had given the request since it hinted at a possible refusal, something of which he didn't like the idea of.

"You look like you've had enough," the bartender said.

The turian, a male in his late twenties and bearing dark blue facial markings on parts of his exo-skeletal reptilian face, slammed a fist down on the bench with considerable force. A few heads of patrons nearby turned but otherwise no one was particularly interested in what was occurring between the grumpy turian and the bartender, preferring to keep to their own business.

"Just one more…please…"

The bartender shook his head, a frown creasing his features. He looked concerned but the turian knew better: no human could ever feel concerned for a turian such as himself.

"I think you have a problem, buddy," the bartender said, "and as far as I can tell, you've had enough to drink for today. Leave before I have to call C-Sec…"

"I hate C-Sec," the turian spat, realizing he had a slim chance of winning this argument. Nothing was stopping the bartender from bringing in Citadel Security so wisely, and probably for the benefit of his own health, the turian stood up and off of the bar stool and started for the door. He managed a final glance back towards the bartender who was watching him leave with that same concerned expression, one which the turian knew was fake, before he headed through the door and into the grey-white corridors beyond that wound their way through the embassies.

It annoyed him how everything on this damn station was crystal clean and mostly white, too well-maintained for his liking. To further hurt the eyes the artificial sunlight was kept on, all day long, not that days were really existent on the Citadel. People here worked in their own timeframes, with some people sleeping while others worked. The turian had never really spent much time on the Citadel prior to this visit and now he realized why he hadn't wanted to come in the first place.

The white and grey colours were everywhere, enough to become a pain on the eyes after a while. It was near impossible to get a good night's sleep since nights didn't actually exist in this part of the Citadel which further annoyed him. He preferred solid planets to oversized space stations but it seemed that he had had t leave his favourite settlement on his favourite planet because of a business opportunity that had cropped up recently. This opportunity was only available if he dragged his ass over to the Citadel to meet someone in particular, this someone having not disclosed their identity or their face over the transmission he had received. Apparently it was some sort of human Colonel guy but the turian didn't know the full details and only what he had been told: plenty of credits for a seemingly simple job.

The turian was twenty-nine years old and well-built for someone of his species. He still had that slender frame that was common amongst turians, the one that showed others that they could move at faster speeds than most other races. Like most other turians this one had the facial markings of his home colony on his grey, hard exo-skeletal face. His were a dark blue; matching the tone of his face and most of his scaly skin, save for his neck which was a little paler.

His name was Kynarus Vakarian and unlike most turians his age who would still be in the military or serving in the reserves he had chosen to be different. It had stemmed from his attitude, the one which despised authority especially when that authority had told him to do things he hadn't wanted to do. He hadn't liked a military career, especially when that career had led to him losing someone important in his life.

This incident had been preceded by and succeeded by all manner of red tape in which he was court martialled. There were stern rules against fraternization in the turian military, rules which he had broken when it had come down to someone in particular, a female turian he had met during his short military career. Thinking back on it now hurt emotionally and it had been something he had wanted to forget about as well as remember. That someone, the female, had been the only important person in his life since he had left home.

The military had been full of rules and regulations, many of which he had hated. The military was lead by a bunch of control freaks who wanted nothing more than complete control over those that were under them. Kynarus had been more than willing to leave when they had discharged him, having packed his bags and walked out with a grin on his face. He had a few years of military training under his belt which he had decided to use to excellent effect in other lines of work.

The line of work he was in now was that of a mercenary: he took jobs, those jobs usually involving killing a few people and after they were dead he got paid. Usually that pay was fairly high and usually he ended up spending it away on alcohol and drugs, whatever suited his fancy at the time. For the last few months he had been without work, word of mouth having spread that he was no longer fit to be hired by anyone who actually wanted their given jobs to be done efficiently. To many of the politicians and businessmen that had need for mercs, in their eyes, Kynarus had become a washout. To them Kynarus was just a young turian who had decided to waste his life away on booze, drugs and women.

Kynarus didn't deny any of that. Most of the other mercenaries, smugglers and so forth knew of him and what he had become after his original glory days of being hired, killing some people and getting paid. Back then he had been living a fairly good life, buying all sorts of expensive things that appealed to him which had included a personal shuttle which he still used to this day. Over the years he had modified that shuttle and even installed a virtual intelligence to keep things in order for him.

That had been until he had started on the alcohol and the drugs. Even now he was still spending what little credits he had on alcohol although drugs were no longer high up on his list of things he wanted. For a time he had experimented with all sorts of designer drugs, most of them stimulants that helped him concentrate. Soon enough those stimulants were replaced by more powerful ones that had all sorts of weird side effects, hallucinations having been one of them. Sure, hallucinating had its fun moments but after a while it messed up your mind.

Kynarus had been able to get off the drugs over time in the vain hope that maybe somebody would want to hire a drunken, messed up wreck like him. They hadn't and so, for the past three or four months he had wandered around the known parts of the galaxy looking for work, doing odd-jobs and using that money to purchase alcohol and fuel for his ship.

About a week ago he had received a secure transmission from someone named Colonel Sommers. That had been about all the man had disclosed of his identity but he had told Kynarus a few details about the job he wanted Kynarus to do. First of all he was to meet this Colonel Sommers guy down in the Lower Wards, in Chora's Den, a gentleman's club. That meeting was later on today so until then Kynarus had decided to wander around the Citadel and get to know the layout of the place, starting with the docking bay he had parked his ship in and ending down in Chora's Den. Along the way he had arrived at the embassy bar and lounge and started drinking as well as losing track of time. If it hadn't been for the bartender's refusal to serve him he would still be in the bar, drinking away and completely oblivious to the fact he was running late for the meeting.

Kynarus had no clue as to Colonel Sommers's appearance since the transmission had been audio only. Even so, Kynarus guessed that Colonel's didn't like to be kept waiting so now he decided to head down to the Wards, making his way through the embassies and out into the Presidium area itself.

Kynarus doubted the guy he was intending on meeting was even a Colonel. Colonel Sommers just sounded like some pseudonym for someone who wanted to sound like they had authority but regardless Kynarus knew he had to go see this guy. Getting a well-paid job like the one Sommers had only slightly detailed on the transmission would mean Kynarus could finally get much needed credits and hopefully spend them on more than just alcohol.

The job sounded like a standard "locate and secure" thing, with Kynarus finding some sort of "package" and returning it to Sommers's men at a pre-designated drop-off point. That had been all Sommers had said before telling Kynarus to meet him down in the gentleman's club and that was what the turian intended to do, just as long as he could find his way to the Lower Wards.

The Presidium was a large, vast space lit up with artificial sunlight and what looked to be a computer generated blue sky through the thick glass at the ceiling. He knew as well as anyone that beyond that glass was merely the vacuum of space, the clouds and blue sky just there to look pretty and create some credible to the artificial sunlight which cast down some brilliant illumination into the Presidium. Usually politicians and diplomats hung around here but it wasn't hard to get around when you were just a civilian. No one here really took much notice of each other.

A large lake with crystal blue water and a few ornate water features was in the centre of this vast expanse, walkways running over and around it. Citizens of all sorts of species wandered about, concentrating on whatever it was they were doing, whether it be heading off to work or to home. There were plenty of C-Sec officers about, both humans and turians. One of these officers passed by Kynarus and shot him a suspicious look, as if expecting Kynarus to be up to no good. It was no secret that Kynarus was a mercenary, one of the rare turian mercenaries that had abandoned the usual public service ethic that was common in his species. Kynarus worked only for himself and not for the good of others.

He realized that he must have stood out, wearing a dirtied suit of light armour. The silvery colour had all but gone out of it after years of use, scorch marks and dents having taken its place. He probably smelt pretty bad as well, a shower being another thing he hadn't gotten to do for a while. No wonder everybody thought of him as a sort of "wash-out".

Kynarus started along the paths that wound around the lake, following the brightly lit arrows and signs that showed newcomers such as him where all the important places were. The Wards was a fair walk straight ahead and even as he started on his way there he did receive a few glances from some of the civilians and more than a few of the C-Sec officers. He tried his best to ignore them although he did have the urge to punch any C-Sec officer that shot him a glance.

Kynarus had always disliked C-Sec and any other sort of security organization. He couldn't quite fathom why, he just guessed he hated the people in the blue uniforms who thought they could tell people what to do and what they couldn't do. C-Sec was only Citadel security and as such located on the Citadel but there were plenty more police forces like this for settled worlds and it was with these many police forces that Kynarus had gotten in trouble with. Most of the time he could either bribe his way out or there would be insufficient evidence to prove he had done something wrong but other times he was let go because he had more or less done the public a favour. Killing criminals wasn't really looked down upon by some of the more superior, experienced police officers and often Kynarus was hired to kill a few wrongdoers. He got paid for it, which was all that really mattered.

Another reason why he hated C-Sec is because of his father. His father had been C-Sec and had been quite a die-hard officer at that. It had been years since Kynarus had left the Citadel and even more years had passed since he had last seen his father. His father had gotten his older brother into C-Sec but when it came down to Kynarus he had refused and gone against his father's wishes but joining the military and staying in the military instead. He wondered what his father thought of him now, reduced to some wash-out merc with very little money and nothing better to spend it on other than alcohol.

While Kynarus had been thinking about all of this he ended up quite literally bumping into someone he hadn't been expecting to meet. This someone was about the same size as him but a little older and resembled him closely. When Kynarus saw who it was he couldn't help but give a surprised expression.

"Who…?"  
The turian in front of his smiled for a moment when he recognized Kynarus. Kynarus had recognized his older brother by the way he resembled himself and because of that orange-blue eyepiece he wore over his left eye, it being some sort of HUD or something.

"It's been a while, Kynarus," his brother said, holding out a hand as if implying that Kynarus wanted to shake it. The turian mercenary didn't and so his brother brought it back.

"The last person I was expecting to meet today was you, Garrus," Kynarus said, frowning, "and right now, I'm really not in the mood. You see, I have this really splitting headache…"  
Kynarus started to walk around his brother when an outstretched arm stopped him. He turned and shot Garrus Vakarian an annoyed glance but his brother merely shrugged.

"You're not going to get away from me this time," Garrus said, "it's been, how long now? Five years since we last talked. Ever since then you've been avoiding me…"  
"Probably because I haven't been on the Citadel since then," Kynarus replied, "I never have liked this place. It's too bright and there's too many C-Sec officers like you hanging around…"

Garrus laughed at this remark. It had occurred to Kynarus a long time ago that maybe Garrus didn't think too highly of him as a brother. Garrus was the one who had gone off to join the rightful, law-bringing C-Sec officers while Kynarus had gone off to become a mercenary who's done his fair share of killing and crimes. There was no reason for Garrus to arrest him now though; Kynarus was yet to do something against the law on the Citadel. He had no plans of stealing or killing unless the job he would be receiving (hopefully) later today involved doing that.

Most of the people he had killed had been the types that the law enforcement officials couldn't care less about. Pirates, smugglers, mercenaries (just like himself) and other lawless types. When these types started killing each other, law enforcement wouldn't intervene. To them it was just convenient when criminals started killing each other since they wouldn't need to expend so much effort on taking them down if a bunch of them were killed. Kynarus had learned this through years of experience but he had also learned that law enforcement would care if they fund you standing in a room with a few corpses and a smoking gun in your hand.

"Killed anyone lately?" Garrus asked. He had that look on his face which more or less meant he was trying to annoy his younger brother (who was only three years younger) although Kynarus wasn't stirred that easily. He was used to people trying to stir him up, especially his hothead brother.

"Caught any criminals lately?" Kynarus asked with a smile. Garrus frowned at the question and the brief flash of annoyance on his face was enough to tell Kynarus the answer. No criminals caught lately, it seemed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Garrus sounded a little annoyed now, Kynarus able to sense that there was something on his mind. It was more than the fact he hadn't been able to catch any wrongdoers lately, no, there was something else…

"I suppose, knowing you and your lack of interest in galactic affairs that you didn't hear of the attack on Eden Prime?" Garrus asked, the annoyance on his face disappearing.

Kynarus thought for a moment. He had never heard of Eden Prime although he guessed it was some sort of planet, one that had recently been attacked according to what his brother had just said. He had never cared much for current affairs, most were never very interesting.

"No, I haven't heard of it. Besides, what does it matter?"

Garrus rolled his blue eyes, having expected no better from his younger brother. Kynarus couldn't see what was so important about this attack but he decided to listen anyway. He took a look at the chronometer on his wrist, noticing that he was running an hour late for his scheduled meeting down in Chora's Den.

"I'm investigating someone who might have been involved," Garrus said, "the reason I haven't caught any criminals lately is because I've been concentrating on this one investigation. I'm close to a breakthrough and I was just on my way to the medical clinic to check up on something. You're making me late…"  
"Hang on a second," Kynarus said, "you're blaming me for making you late? You're the one that stopped me from walking away. Besides, I'm late for something down in the Wards as well."

"We can walk down there together then," Garrus said, "catch up while we're walking. What do you think?"

Kynarus thought about this for a moment. It had been a while since he had last spoken with his brother, primarily because he didn't trust him for being a C-Sec officer. The last thing he needed was his own brother arresting him. He doubted that would happen now and considered the idea of catching up with the only relative he had seen after five years.

"I'll walk with you," Kynarus said uncertainly, "just don't try anything. By that I mean you don't arrest me, alright?"

Garrus shrugged. Kynarus took this as a yes and began walking alongside his brother as they headed along the walkways that ran past the massive lake in the centre of the Presidium, passing civilians of all sorts of species and quite a number of C-Sec officers.

"You look like a mess," Garrus said as they started down the stairs leading to the elevator that would in turn take them down to the Wards. He regarded his brother with a strange expression, probably thinking that there was something wrong with him. Kynarus did look like a mess but there was nothing wrong, only that he longed for alcohol.

"I'm fine," Kynarus replied, the elevator door opening as they approached. Stepping into the crystal clean elevator, Garrus pressed a few keys on the panel by the door, the doors closing and the elevator starting on its steady descent into the Wards.

"You don't look fine," Garrus said. Was that a hint of concern in his voice? Kynarus couldn't tell but then again he didn't particularly care, deciding to play along with whatever his brother was getting at.

"I'm alright, okay?" Kynarus didn't like it when people kept pressing him about his personal wellbeing and this frustration was creeping into his voice. Garrus fell silent, noticing his brother's reaction and thinking better than to press him on the subject any longer.

Surprisingly, Garrus sniffed the air inside the elevator and then looked at Kynarus again, a frown crossing his face.

"You smell of alcohol…"

"So what?"

Garrus shook his head, trying to find a subtle way of saying what he wanted to say next. Kynarus didn't seem to want anyone, especially his brother; to press him about his own wellbeing but Garrus knew he had to try anyway. Even though they hadn't seen each other for some years now it pained Garrus to see his brother like this, messed up and angry at him.

"You've been drinking, haven't you?" Garrus asked, "Last time we met, if I remember correctly, you were making a decent amount of money but was spending most of it on alcohol. I see nothing's changed, huh, Kye?"

The elevator doors opened and Kynarus, annoyed at his brother's smart-alecky attitude, turned around and lunged towards him, his arm at his brother's throat as he forced him against the side of the elevator. Garrus gasped with surprise but otherwise kept his cool, eyeing his brother with some annoyance.

"This is the reason I don't want to speak with you, Garrus," Kynarus said, holding his brother against the wall with surprising strength. A startled human was standing outside of the elevator, having been intent on stepping inside until he had seen the two turians having a disagreement inside. He stood watching with some interest, curious to see what happened next.

"You're always a smart-ass, that's why," Kynarus said, pressing his arm against his brother's throat some more. He used his other arm to put one of Garrus' arms behind his back so, if the need ever arose, he could force Garrus into submission if he tried anything fancy. Garrus, however, didn't struggle. Instead, he eyed his brother with considerable anger.

"You were always the underachiever of the family, Kynarus," Garrus said, "that's why our father liked me better. He saw the potential in me while you, on the other hand, were beyond all help. It was only a matter of time before they kicked you out of the military and it wasn't long before you became a criminal yourself.

"You might have been earning the money but, as far as I know, you're wanted on a few dozen worlds for all sorts of crimes. Killing isn't a good living to have, Kynarus, even if the pay is good."

Kynarus, hearing this, released Garrus' arm and then used the free hand to punch his brother in the gut. The armour his brother had been wearing had only been light and so Garrus felt the punch through it. It was enough to wind him slightly but still Garrus didn't struggle. Instead, he looked into the eyes of his brother, showing both anger and concern at the state Kynarus was in.

"You need help, Kynarus," Garrus said, "you're a mess and you'll probably end up dead soon enough. I'm thinking this 'meeting' you're late for is with someone that's going to give you a job, am I right? I mean, why else would you be on the Citadel? You even said so yourself that you hate the Citadel."

Kynarus was surprised at his brother's powers of deduction but he realized it wasn't really all that hard to figure out.

"You're going to get yourself killed one day," Garrus said, "unless you start fixing up your act. You should get help…"

"I don't need any help, Garrus," Kynarus said, the anger noticeable in his voice, "and this 'job' I'm going to get is going to be a well-paid one. It's going to be an easy one as well. It'll be my last one."

Garrus frowned when Kynarus said this. He was probably finding it hard to believe that Kynarus would be giving up on being a mercenary after this last "job" he was going to get. Somehow Garrus knew that was a lie as much as Kynarus knew it was.

"You'll end up dead on this one," Garrus said, "it's probably not as easy as you think. If it's so well paid and so easy don't you think there's going to be some sort of catch?"

Kynarus thought about this for a moment. There was always a catch; there had been one with every job he had taken on during his mercenary career so far. So what if this one wasn't going to be so different? He would make sure he wouldn't end up dead as Garrus had been saying.

He released his brother from his hold against the wall and took a step back, thinking about what Garrus had said. Kynarus was adamant he didn't need help and was also quite sure he wouldn't end up dead. The risk of death was always there when you were a mercenary and it was something Kynarus had gotten used to. There were plenty of people out there who wanted to kill him but many, so far, had given up on finding him. The last thing he needed was to get killed and prove his brother right.

"We'll see if I get killed, Garrus," Kynarus said, pointing an accusing finger at his brother, "I've taken on much more dangerous work in the past and I've survived. What makes you think the next one will kill me?"

Garrus rubbed his neck with one hand in the areas Kynarus had held him against the wall, frowning as he did so.

"I hope you don't get killed but I know you probably will," Garrus said, sounding resigned, "if you want to survive you better fix up your current ways. Alcohol and drugs aren't going to help you."

Kynarus didn't have a chance to reply since Garrus had stepped out of the elevator and brushed past the human who had been standing outside, watching the pair argue. Garrus went out of sight soon enough and Kynarus, annoyed and no longer sure of himself, eyed the human man standing outside the elevator.

"What the hell are you looking at?" He said, stepping out of the elevator as he did so. The human didn't reply, instead he headed into the elevator and made sure the doors closed behind him.

Kynarus didn't care much for what his brother thought about him, or anybody else for that matter. He would make sure Garrus wouldn't be proven right by not getting killed on his next assignment. Proving his brother wrong would be quite satisfying.

Stepping into the corridor, Kynarus took a quick look around. If his knowledge of the layout of this place served him correctly then Chora's Den was down in the Lower Wards, which meant the door on his right would take him there. Stepping through the door and heading down a set of stairs, Kynarus arrived at the exterior of the gentleman's club.

Kynarus was half-expecting the guy he was supposed to meet to no longer be waiting for him. He was now more than an hour late and he realized that if this guy, this Colonel Sommers human wasn't there waiting for him then Kynarus would have to get into contact with him and hope the job was still open to him.

While he made his way towards the entrance to the gentleman's club the things that Garrus had said, about needing help and about getting killed. They slowly began to gnaw away at his conscience which provided an annoying feeling to say the least now that they were stuck in his mind. He couldn't forget them as easily as he wanted to. He really didn't need psychological help, did he?

Regardless of what Garrus had said he would still be taking up this assignment. Death only came with the territory of being mercenary and Kynarus was quite confident in his ability to not get killed. Of course, if this assignment involved going to a planet where he was wanted by the local law enforcement agencies then things would get a little more difficult. As Garrus had mentioned, he was a wanted man on several worlds. Those planets he had sensibly avoided ever since getting this "wanted" status on them and many of these planets hadn't had much on them anyway. A few insignificant settlements didn't count as much of a colony to him and that was one reason why his "wanted" man status hadn't carried over to the more important planets.

Another thing that bugged him was what Garrus had mentioned about this Eden Prime place. Usually when a colony was attacked he would hear about it somehow, even if he didn't care much for current events. He was surprised that his brother would be the one investigating it, although it had been five years since he had last seen Garrus until today and a lot can happen in five years.

Stepping through the entrance of Chora's Den, Kynarus was glad to see it was much like the places he frequented on other settled worlds. There were neon lights, plenty of patrons from different species and a few half-naked aliens providing lap dances. A few large, krogan bouncers stood guard near the door. Kynarus remembered a time he had gotten in a fight with one of them in some other, similar club on some insignificant colonized world where a job of his had to be done. He had managed to use a broken bottle to stab the large reptile in the throat and for that he had been thrown out with sticky krogan blood on his hands and was then eventually cornered and beaten by a group of the dead krogan's friends.

_Good times_, Kynarus thought with a grin. He scanned the interior of the club, taking note of the bar which was one place where he could get more drinks. He had been told to look for a man in a C-Sec Captain's uniform and yet he couldn't see anybody of that description. There were plenty of humans in here but there were none that wore such a uniform. For a moment Kynarus thought he might have been so late that this guy (who probably wasn't Colonel Sommers and rather one of his closest goons) had decided to leave. If that meant he had missed out on getting the assignment then he would probably get angry. At least, he would feel frustrated at first before buying more drinks and drowning his sorrows with alcohol.

Heading to the bar, he took a seat and got the attention of the human bartender. Without hesitation the bartender approached him.

"Welcome to Chora's Den," the bartender said, lacking enthusiasm, "how can I help?"  
"I need something strong and preferably a lot of it," Kynarus said, "I don't care how much it costs. Just give me some and I'll pay for it."

The bartender nodded, proceeding to activate the taps and fill up a large pint-sized glass with a blue-green drink. He placed it on the counter and Kynarus, without hesitation, picked it up with one hand and downed a third of it before removing the glass from his mouth. It was sweet and strong at the same time, two factors which he liked.

"Hey, you're name's Kynarus, ain't it?" The bartender asked, frowning. Kynarus looked up, his interest suitably raised.

"What is it?"

"Somebody called up about an hour ago. Said if I see a turian that matches your description that I should tell that turian that Captain Winter is going to be late."

Kynarus shook his head when the bartender said this. He arrives at Chora's Den over an hour late for the meeting and it turns out that this Captain guy is going to be late himself. Convenient but also inconvenient as well since now Kynarus would have to wait and probably get more drunk in the process.

"How long did he say he'd be?" Kynarus asked, putting the glass back up to his mouth and sipping.

"Well, he should be here in half an hour according to how late he said he would be," the bartender said, glancing down at the watch on his wrist, "in the meantime, I'm sure you'd like to sample some of our girls…"

Kynarus took a look over at the brightly lit booths at the sides where the dancers were, eyeing them carefully and thinking about it. If he had half an hour he may as well make the most of it although he wanted to finish his drink first.

"Not right now," he told the bartender, "I'd prefer it if I finished about two more of these." He held up the nearly finished pint of whatever the drink had been, this being enough of an indication for the bartender to make another one.

About ten minutes passed and Kynarus managed to drink two more pints of whatever it had been that the bartender had given him. Feeling suitably out of his right mind he stood up and decided to head over to one of the dancers, this one being free of any spectators since the turian that had been enjoying a lap dance from her had left.

Unfortunately for Kynarus a hand fell onto his shoulder from behind just as he began to approach the seats near the dancer. He stopped and turned around, coming face-to-face with an authoritative looking human in a C-Sec Captain's uniform.

For a moment Kynarus had no clue as to who this guy was, the alcohol having muddled his memory up a bit. It took a few seconds for him to remember who this guy actually was and why he was here.

"You're the turian Colonel Sommers wanted to meet, am I right?"

Kynarus nodded, barely aware of his surroundings. He had no idea who this C-Sec guy was and he was beginning to think it had all been a set up just so C-Sec could arrest him for whatever it was they were arresting him for.

"The Colonel's waiting for you in one of the booths," the C-Sec Captain said, "He's an agreeable but ambitious man. I would advise you watch what you say when you're talking to him, the last thing we need is for him to get angry because of some crazy shit you might have said."

Kynarus wondered whether the C-Sec guy was aware that the turian he was talking to was actually quite drunk. Maybe he knew but just didn't care or maybe he was stupid enough not to notice.

"The man that's sitting with him is one of his closest body guards," the C-Sec Captain said as he directed Kynarus towards a secluded booth over in the far corner of the club. "You'll get frisked for weapons since even down here people still want to kill the Colonel."  
Kynarus wasn't quite sure about the C-Sec Captain and whether he was actually working for Sommers or just some lackey the Colonel had hired. Regardless, Kynarus was looking forward to getting another assignment after months of inaction.

Sitting at the booth was a middle-aged looking human male with dark brown hair and eyes that seemed to be always aware of their surroundings. They seemed to be filled with an eerie glow, one that communicated intense ambition. The human was dressed in a brown overcoat and a black shirt underneath which to Kynarus seemed quite old fashioned and quite expensive. It probably made sense that the Colonel had the money for such things since he had mentioned that the reward Kynarus would receive for completing the assignment would be quite high.

Sitting on the Colonel's left was a man in a dark, light armour outfit. He watched Kynarus carefully as the C-Sec Captain directed him to a chair across the table from the pair of business-looking folk.

Kynarus couldn't quite figure out how this Sommers guy was a Colonel. He had had the feeling that maybe it was a pseudonym or that the guy was indeed a Colonel, although he didn't bear the insignia of the human Systems Alliance and certainly wasn't in uniform. The armour that the bodyguard wore bore no insignia but Kynarus could make out the shape of a pistol hidden under a flap close to the bottom of the armour's torso section. Whoever these people were they weren't Alliance or anybody else Kynarus knew of.

Before the turian could sit down the bodyguard had stood up and out of his chair, walking over to him with a small metal detector and moving it along Kynarus. Nothing beeped which certainly made sense since Kynarus had left all of his weapons back on his ship.

"Smart man," the Colonel said, looking up with a smile as his bodyguard sat back down, "no weapons means you trust us. That means we can do business much easier."  
Kynarus eyed the Colonel carefully. Even in his alcohol muddled mind the Colonel still seemed suspicious to him and definitely not the type he could trust easily. He nodded towards the pistol holstered at the Colonel's waist as well as the one his bodyguard had concealed in his armour.

"You mustn't trust me," Kynarus said.

The Colonel shrugged innocently.

"I have many enemies, turian," the Colonel said, "and just because I'm on the Citadel it doesn't mean I'm safe from them. Criminal activity is rife here, Citadel Security is stretched thin. And most of them are easy to bribe, such as Captain Winter." He nodded towards the C-Sec Captain who was standing behind Kynarus and without responding the Captain turned around and left, leaving Kynarus alone with the two suspicious humans.

"I trust you like it here, turian?" the Colonel said. Why he was referring to Kynarus as "turian" was beyond him since Kynarus clearly remembered him referring to him by name over the message he had received. If it wasn't for that message he wouldn't be here now.

"Sit down, please," the Colonel said invitingly, "I chose this place since I knew it would appeal to you. It's a fact that Kynarus Vakarian is one to frequent clubs such as these and is also the type who enjoys paying the women here to—"

"Don't cross the line, Colonel," Kynarus snapped as he sat down. This Colonel obviously knew a lot about him and what he did which may explain why he had chosen to tell Kynarus about the assignment he had planned.

The Colonel didn't look fazed by Kynarus' sudden snap and merely gave an innocent look.

"Easy there, turian," the Colonel said, "I didn't come here to piss you off. I came here to tempt you with an offer you simply cannot refuse. The last thing I want is a fight. Please, just hear me out and we can do business."

Kynarus regarded the Colonel with some uncertainty. Humans that smiled like him he could never trust but the thought of easy money was far too hard to resist.

"Go ahead then, Colonel," Kynarus said, "humour me."


	4. Colonel Sommers

**Location: **Chora's Den, Lower Wards, Citadel

Colonel Sommers was over providing small talk to the turian once he saw him sit down. The Colonel hadn't had much else on his mind other than getting straight to business, especially since he had other things to do. Getting off of the Citadel was one of them and getting his coat dry cleaned was another.

Kynarus Vakarian sat himself down across the table from the Colonel, eyeing the man with noticeable uncertainty. The turian had learned throughout his days as a mercenary that trust was a hard thing to come by these days, especially when suspicious humans wanted to give you work. Everything Sommers said would be something the turian would take with a grain of salt.

The Colonel himself stood out in the club in his well-pressed light brown coat, surprisingly thick for something of its type. It seemed that this thickness might imply the Colonel had something in that coat that wasn't the norm, maybe armour plating or something.

Kynarus was unsure about Sommers and his Colonel status. There was nothing on what he wore that showed him to be a Colonel and the same went for his tough looking bodyguard. Kynarus certainly didn't care too much about these finer details at the moment since the turian was far more intent on the assignment the Colonel had to offer and the reward he would receive when he completed it.

Colonel Sommers (or was it Summers? Kynarus wasn't sure) reached into a pocket on the front of his coat and retrieved a box of what appeared to be cigarettes, a surprisingly popular commodity that many humans enjoyed. Kynarus was also well aware of what it did to the body and couldn't quite understand why humans would want to mess up their bodies with such a thing but then again at one point in time he himself had been on all sorts of drugs. He wasn't in a position to argue against smoking since anybody who knew a little bit about him could merely mention the fact that he had practically been a drug addict a few years ago.

"Do you smoke, turian?" Sommers asked, pulling one of the white and brown cigarettes from the pack. He offered to box to Kynarus but the turian refused, Sommers taking the box back and putting it back into the pocket he had retrieved it from.

"I'll take that as a no then," Sommers said, "although I think it's funny how your species has adopted a lot of human commodities, turian. Such as drugs, yes, we humans are excellent at making drugs. I've seen turians like you get high on all sorts of things, all human made…"  
Kynarus said with an unsure expression on his face, trying to figure out why the Colonel had decided to ramble on all of a sudden. He seemed the type who would ramble on about anything that came to mind. Kynarus thought he ought to push the conversation in a direction that lead faster to the point but he didn't get much of a chance, the Colonel continuing with his talk.

"You may not want a cigarette now, turian, but you'll probably want one when we meet again after you've completed the assignment I want to give you. You see, cigarettes are for real men, turian, and maybe if you had one I might like you better…"

Something occurred to Kynarus in his alcohol blurred mind, something that he realized had been at the back of his mind and slowly eating away at it as much as the things Garrus had said earlier was. It was a sensible question but he was afraid he wouldn't get much of an answer for it or that the answer would be what he was expecting. If the reply was the latter than Kynarus would be a bit disappointed.

"Why me?" He asked simply, causing the Colonel to stop mid-sentence. The bodyguard frowned, he and the Colonel exchanging quick glances. The Colonel turned to face Kynarus again and smiled, showing a set of pearly white teeth that were perfectly lined up. Either the Colonel took excellent care of his teeth or they were artificial. Kynarus was betting on them being artificial, he was certain of it.

"Kynarus, if you don't mind me calling you by your first name," the Colonel said, almost innocently, "I've heard a lot about you. So have my associates. It wouldn't be smart to hire someone you know nothing about as well as someone you don't have confidence in.

"You, Kynarus, are the one I believe can get a sensitive job such as this completed without much hassle. If I didn't think that then we wouldn't be here right now, talking and enjoying the treats here at Chora's Den. You shouldn't need to question my motives, Kynarus, but it's understandable that you do."

Kynarus was still unable to trust this man. He also didn't like the way he seemed to make out he knew aw lot about the turian and was inclined to learn more about what Colonel Sommers knew and whether or not the Colonel was indeed an actual Colonel.

"What do you mean, 'sensitive job'?" Kynarus asked, frowning. He leaned forwards a little, interested in how Sommers would reply. The Colonel didn't seem at all fazed by Kynarus' noticeable suspicion in him and instead changed the subject, albeit briefly.

"How about some drinks, Kynarus? Or have you already exceeded your maximum daily intake for today?" Sommers smiled, obviously well aware of Kynarus' drinking problem. This was another reason why Kynarus didn't believe that Sommers had chosen him for the assignment purely because of his records.

"If you know I have a habit of drinking why would you hire me?" Kynarus asked, realizing that he was probably beginning to jeopardize his chances of getting the assignment. He needed the reward money otherwise he would end up without any fuel for his ship and stuck on the one planet because of it, begging on the streets and hoping people would care enough to help him out. He knew they wouldn't since he would probably spend their given money on alcoholic beverages and the people would know that.

"I don't care about your drinking problem," the Colonel said, raising a hand as a waiter came past. The waiter, a young human male who looked a bit flustered from all the work he was having to do, stopped by the table and took down the Colonel's order of three drinks, one for himself, his bodyguard and Kynarus. They were expensive drinks, Kynarus could tell by the names but he wasn't about to complain and turn down a free drink. Hell no.

Once the waiter was gone the Colonel continued, that innocent business-like manner of his never disappearing. It made Kynarus feel a tad uneasy but the turian was desperate for work and so the assignment the Colonel had for him was like some sort of divine intervention, a miracle almost. Kynarus had lost faith months ago that anybody would bother hiring him for anything but it seemed that lost faith had been lost for no reason.

"I know what you can do, Kynarus," the Colonel said, sounding quite adamant about his confidence in the turian, "I've read your files and I managed to scrounge up all sorts of information about you. There is no one better for the assignment and I think you should stop questioning the reasons why I'm hiring you. The more you do it the less confident I become in the trust we have with each other and the more I feel like handing this assignment over to some other, less questioning merc…"

Kynarus didn't like the sound of where the Colonel was heading with this and so interrupted angrily.

"You don't want anybody else doing this job for you, alright?" Kynarus' temper had flared again and this time it had been to some sort of beneficial effect since the Colonel nodded in response, as if agreeing with Kynarus.

"Of course I don't!" The Colonel exclaimed, smiling, "in the eyes of many others who may need services for a mercenary you are a mere washout, someone who was great in the past but no longer. To me, however, you are untapped potential. If you agree to do the assignment I need completed then maybe that would begin a fruitful business relationship. You shouldn't question that, I know you need the money after all."

Kynarus couldn't help but agree, nodding along with the Colonel's words. He obviously knew about the turian's financial problems as well. Kynarus wondered just how much the Colonel knew about him but then stopped wondering: he probably knew everything. It was amazing what could be found in previously classified files if you had enough money and access to a computer and technician.

"I read all about how you helped fend off insurgents during your second year in the turian military," the Colonel said, "during that battle you were outnumbered and outgunned. You won the highest honour for a turian in the military after you and your squad held off superior forces."

The Colonel smiled as he began displaying his knowledge of Kynarus Vakarian, much to the turian's annoyance. Nobody else in the club seemed to be listening in but you could never be sure, eavesdroppers could be anywhere.

"It all fell apart a couple of years later, didn't it Kynarus?" The Colonel smiled although Kynarus knew exactly what the Colonel was referring to and thus didn't share the same enthusiasm. Regardless of what Kynarus thought the Colonel continued talking.

"You had a relationship with a female turian who was assigned to your squad. She was later killed in battle against yet more insurgents and she apparently died in your arms. That's why you left and became a mercenary. The loss of someone that close to you made you become disillusioned with the whole military, didn't it?"

Kynarus didn't reply. Everything the Colonel had said about him had been a shortened version of the truth and just proved how much the Colonel knew about him. Kynarus wondered just how much more the Colonel knew.

"I believe quite strongly that you are the best one for the assignment. This assignment deals with a sensitive matter and thus should be done in a discreet fashion. I'm hoping that you can be discreet, Kynarus. I'm sure you can, you have in the past, haven't you?"

Kynarus simply nodded. The Colonel knew way too much about him and this was something he didn't particularly like. No, he didn't like it at all.

"I've read about your previous work," the Colonel continued, "you've been hired by all sorts of politicians and have killed your fair share of people. A lot of those people were criminals so I guess society didn't lose anyone important in that case. There have been a few instances where innocents were killed by those were mostly accidents, weren't they?"  
Being reminded of past mistakes like this wasn't helping with Kynarus' already frustrated mood. He felt like telling the Colonel to shut up but he was afraid that would put him out of getting the assignment and thus he would run out of money for sure.

"No civilians should need to be killed on the assignment I have for you, Kynarus," the Colonel said, "dead civilians are bad for all sorts of reasons. The last thing you would need is their deaths on your conscience now, wouldn't it?"

Kynarus nodded again, unable to help but agree with what the Colonel was saying. The Colonel's bodyguard sat silently, regarding the pair of them with slight interest but otherwise he was deep in his own thoughts.

The waiter from earlier came by with their drinks and handed them out to the three of them before leaving. The Colonel took his drink and sipped from it carefully, nodding to himself when he tasted it which obviously meant that the taste appealed to him.

Kynarus sipped from his glass, unable to help but down the glass's contents within seconds while the Colonel and his bodyguard watched with bemused expressions. This was more than enough proof about Kynarus' drinking problem for them although the Colonel had made it quite clear it didn't matter. Another thing that Kynarus hated was when people referred to it as a "drinking problem". The word "problem" made it sound so much more serious that people instantly associated it with negative things.

"As I was saying," the Colonel continued once the waiter had left, "this job shouldn't be too difficult. Well, I'm hoping it isn't too difficult otherwise things will get a lot more complicated on my end."

"What do you mean?" Kynarus frowned, unsure of what the Colonel was referring to but interested nonetheless.

"I'm hoping what I want you to find isn't in the wrong hands," the Colonel said, "if it is then your job will be made more difficult and the security of quite possibly the whole Alliance will be threatened." The Colonel must have seen Kynarus' doubtful expression and so countered it. "_Yes_, it is that important. The whole Alliance will be at risk if this package falls into the wrong hands. I'm confident you'll be able to get it without many problems and I'm hoping it hasn't fallen into the wrong hands."

Kynarus made an uncertain expression.

"Package? What's this package contain?"

The Colonel's eye slit up when he heard this. It seemed they were finally on track with what the meeting had originally been about, the Colonel having supposed to have briefed Kynarus on the assignment he had for him.

"Straight to business, a quality I admire in a man," the Colonel said, "and I can assure you I'll tell you all that you need to know. If you have any questions about the assignment you should simply fire away but you may find that I'm not at liberty to disclose everything. Some of the details you might question me about might actually be classified information which means that if I tell you, I lose my job and someone comes out to find you and kill you. So, what do you say? You want to hear the details on the assignment or not?"

Kynarus nodded, determined to get the assignment done and the reward in his pocket as soon as possible.

"Of course I do."

Sommers nodded in complete understanding, well aware of Kynarus' need for money. The Colonel took another sip from his drink, obviously quite pleased with Kynarus' choice of accepting the assignment. _Whatever that assignment was_, Kynarus thought, since the Colonel was yet to give him the full details on it.

"That's good to hear, Kynarus," the Colonel said, smiling as he took the glass away from his mouth and placed it back onto the table, "so, let me brief you on the job itself. Maybe then you might change your mind but somehow I doubt that."

The Colonel cleared his throat before beginning. Kynarus sat listening as the Colonel began the "briefing", simply nodding every now and then whenever the Colonel asked him something. It sounded simple enough but as the Colonel had said before, things may get complicated if this "package" falls into the wrong hands.

"I'm sure you can do this whole assignment in a discreet fashion, Kynarus," the Colonel said, the turian nodding in response, "because, as I've said, it's a very sensitive matter to the Alliance. We don't want anybody, especially the Council, finding out about it. I'm sure you can keep secrets, eh, Kynarus?"

The turian nodded again. He didn't care much for politics and the secrets governing powers kept from each other. Instead, he just cared about getting the job done as soon as possible and as efficiently as possible, that way he would get paid sooner.

"That's good since keeping this whole thing secret is the key. If information about this 'package' ever leaked out we could have a political crisis on our hands. All sorts of things could happen then, one of them being war. The last thing we all need is another war, don't you agree?"

Kynarus couldn't help but give an uncertain expression. War seemed a bit far-fetched but he guessed that anything could happen, especially if you pissed off the right people. The way the Colonel had said this made the whole assignment sound more important than it deserved to be but Kynarus was yet to find out the full details and so couldn't be sure.

"For your help in securing this 'package, I'm willing to pay you a fair sum of credits. The exact amount, I believe, is about half a million…"

Kynarus managed to contain his near overpowering urge to cry out in victory. Half a million credits? That was more than he had ever had at the one time! If the Colonel was serious about it then Kynarus would get this job done, no matter how "complicated" it became. There were high stakes for both him and the Colonel it seemed, with the threat of a political crisis one of them. He couldn't quite work out what could be so important about this 'package' that seemed to be at the centre of the whole assignment but whatever it was Kynarus would find out. _Just out of curiosity_, he thought. He would get it, open it up to take a look and close it again. Simple as that.

"It's a very important assignment and you may be thinking 'why me'? Well, if I were to send a whole Alliance marine platoon out on a hunt to get it then that would get too much attention now, wouldn't it? A single merc, a so-called 'washout' like you would be the last person people would be expecting to go out and reacquire us the package, don't you agree?"

The Colonel seemed quite sure in his affirmations and so Kynarus didn't have much choice but to agree with him. He didn't like being called a "washout" but then again that was probably the truth.

"Nobody will take any notice of what you do, as long as you carry out the assignment discreetly, as I've been saying," the Colonel said, putting the smoking cigarette he had lit earlier back into the corner of his mouth. He puffed on it gently, a large waft of smoke billowing from its end. "Starting a shootout in a public place, for example, isn't what I would call 'discreet'. So, maybe you should avoid doing that kind of thing for this assignment, don't you think so?"  
Kynarus nodded again. He had started his fair share of firefights but usually the only people he had killed were criminals, although when he thought about it hard enough it probably didn't justify his actions. It was understandable that civilians were often caught in the crossfire as well as law enforcement officials but that just happened and there was little someone could do about it. Of course, they could work on their aim a little more…

"Now, this 'package' contains something very important. It's actually something that's been kept secret for quite a long time and only the highest people in the government and military are aware about it. Not even the Council knows of its existence and I would prefer to keep it that way otherwise, as I said, there might be some political fallout.

"Just so you can get a good idea of what the package looks like I've managed to get you a picture, a fairly old one of it before it was first placed into a secure facility. Since then, it's been moved from place to place, from facility to facility with very few people finding out about it."

The Colonel removed the cigarette from his mouth and pressed it against the table, scraping away the burning tobacco and leaving a small dark scorch mark. With one hand he reached into a pocket on the front of his coat and retrieved a small plastic card, holding it out towards Kynarus. On one side it was blank but on the side Kynarus could see there was a picture, one that looked fairly old and discoloured with age of a metal container. The container itself was dented and its paintjob was flaking off but he could make out the characters "BMH-0018" on the side. He took the picture from the Colonel, managed one last gaze at it before pocketing it himself.

"It hasn't been opened for years," the Colonel said, "and with good reason…"

Kynarus looked back across the table and towards the Colonel. This 'package' looked like any other container Kynarus had seen and so he couldn't quite figure out what could be so important about it. How could a single 'package' have the potential to cause a political crisis? He had no idea and he was meaning to ask…

"If you're wondering what's inside it then don't even bother asking," The Colonel said, "I'm not even quite sure myself but it's important. _Very_ important."

Kynarus could tell the Colonel was lying. Being a mercenary taught you a few things, such as how to read people and he could tell that the Colonel was lying through his teeth. Sommers knew what was in it; he just didn't want to tell the turian. Fair enough although Kynarus would be opening it the first chance he got, just to satisfy his own curiosity. However, something that the Colonel had said bothered him.

_It hasn't been opened for years, and with good reason…_

What the hell did the Colonel mean by that? Were the contents of the container dangerous or something? They probably would have to be if the Colonel kept saying it had the potential of causing some sort of political crisis.

"All would be all well and good if the package hadn't been moved to a secure facility on Klensal," the Colonel said, shaking his head, "but because of that I'm afraid things have gotten a bit complicated."

"How so?" Kynarus wanted to get as much information about this 'package' as he could before he considered taking on the job. Sure, he needed the reward money but he was beginning to get second thoughts about it. If the contents of the container were so dangerous maybe he shouldn't even try opening it, just to be on the safe side…

The Colonel seemed a little concerned about the following details. The assignment, it seemed, wouldn't be so easy after all.

"There is a top secret Alliance facility on the shitty little planet of Klensal," the Colonel said, "don't worry, you won't have to go there but this is where the trouble started.

"About three weeks ago the facility was raided," the Colonel said, "we don't know by who but they managed to kill everyone except for one scientist. He's now in protective custody. As well as that one of the security guards there has gone missing so we're thinking he might have been a spy for the attackers, an inside man or something…

"Regardless, the scientist managed to tell us some helpful information about the attackers. They were all human and they were led by someone who's been wanted by the Alliance for some time now."

The Colonel retrieved a much more modern holograph from one of his other coat pockets and handed it to Kynarus. The turian took it and managed a look at the photo on it which was that of a blonde-haired man with malevolent looking blue eyes and a crazy smile. He certainly looked the "loose cannon" type and certainly someone he would have to watch out for.

So far the assignment had gone from a simple "search and secure" to a full-blown investigation with possible hostiles after the package. He let the Colonel continue talking although he was beginning to become doubtful of what the Colonel was saying was true or not. So far the man had managed to mix the truth and the lies together, making it near impossible to discern what was actually true and what wasn't.

"His name's Dieter Sturlmann and he's actually powerful enough to be hard to catch," the Colonel said, "by that I mean he's too slippery and has too many supporters. You see, he's in charge of some Earth-based corporation renowned for its advanced weapons research as well as that of…well…"

Kynarus put the holograph away and looked towards the Colonel who seemed quite unsure of himself all of a sudden.

"What else?" Kynarus asked, the Colonel giving him an unsure gaze.

"Well, it's all been speculation up until this point," the Colonel said, a slight grin forming at his mouth, "but all this speculation has been from reliable sources. Dieter Sturlmann is in charge of the Zahni Corporation, based in the South America region of Earth and, as I said, renowned for their advanced weapons research. Thing is, they've been doing some work for the Alliance for some time now on mind altering technology."

Kynarus couldn't help but give a disbelieving expression. This whole assignment was getting more absurd by the second but the Colonel seemed to be telling the truth in this case. At least, Kynarus thought so…

"We believe that Dieter and some of his goons attacked the facility on Klensal in an effort to get the package. Unfortunately for them, a week prior to their arrival the package had been loaded on board an Alliance freighter and taken off to a research facility on the planet Talerian."

Kynarus nodded, trying to take in all this information but finding it harder than he had first supposed it would be. No wonder the reward money for this job was so high; it was beginning to sound more and more dangerous whenever the Colonel started talking it about it.

"This is where you come into the picture, Kynarus," the Colonel said, "Talerian is a rocky world on the edges of chartered space. It has a single large settlement and a number of mining outposts, the planet itself having a population of about fifty thousand humans and a smaller amount of alien species. Turians aren't common there so you may get some odd looks as you go through the settlement but nobody should really care about you being there. That way you'll be able to get around fairly easily.

"Thing is, when the freighter arrived on Talerian to unload its precious cargo the package, BMH-0018, had disappeared. With some deduction we think somebody might have infiltrated the ship at the dock and made off with it and chances are it's still on the planet. We're thinking it's one of Dieter's agents but we doubt that.

"Anyway, you're assignment should be straightforward enough. Head to the main settlement on Talerian and start looking for the package. You're best bet would be to start at the local docking area so you can speak with the freighter's Captain but other than that we have very little information on any leads that might make your job easier. Some witnesses claim to have seen a human woman leave with a container much like the one we're after but that's all speculation."

Kynarus didn't like wild goose chases such as these but he was quite intent on accepting the assignment. If he encountered this Dieter guy and any of his goons he would kill them and remove another obstacle to the Colonel and his Alliance, even if he didn't work for them. That was another thing that struck Kynarus odd about Colonel Sommers: he didn't seem like the Alliance military type and neither did his silent bodyguard who had been sitting next to the Colonel and listening to the conversation with detached interest. Regardless of whom the Colonel worked for Kynarus still wanted to get the reward money. He didn't mind the fact that the Colonel had lied to him, everybody had their secrets. He would find out soon enough, though.

"Once you locate the package be sure to kill whoever has it and any witnesses," the Colonel said, "that way you can leave Talerian without getting followed. Once you've got it, give me a call and meet me here, same place on the Citadel. If I'm not available then my friend here, Johannes, will be." He gestured to his silent bodyguard, the burly man nodding towards Kynarus. Kynarus nodded back but neither spoke a word.

"If you encounter Dieter and any of his goons don't be afraid to 'remove' them. They're dangerous as it is and if we had enough evidence to pin the attack at the facility on Klensal on Dieter we would have already. It's just that guy has gotten way too good at covering his tracks."

Kynarus nodded again. This assignment would be troublesome, especially if he couldn't find any reliable leads to the package's whereabouts. He had the feeling he would end up encountering Dieter and some of his goons but that would just make things a little more interesting and probably make way for a few fun shootouts. He was the type who got a kick out of that sort of thing. However, he was worried that going a few months without firing a weapon might have affected his skills a little.

"So, you still want to do it? Sounds a bit complicated, doesn't it?" The Colonel obviously knew the answer long before he had bothered to ask this question.

Kynarus didn't hesitate with his answer.

"I'll do it," he said, "but if I encounter Dieter or any of his men I want a little compensation when I complete this job, alright?"

The Colonel nodded, smiling.

"Don't worry Kynarus; you'll get what you need." He held out a hand, a common human gesture that Kynarus had gotten used to participating in. They pair shook hands and once they were done Johannes and the Colonel had stood up, paying for their drinks on their way out and leaving Chora's Den. As the Colonel left, he managed one last look at Kynarus before saying something that would ring inside the turian's mind until he finally got to Talerian.

"I wouldn't open the package if I were you, when you do get it," the Colonel said, "God only knows what might happen."

With that, the Colonel and his burly bodyguard left. Kynarus considered staying a little longer; managing to polish off a few more drinks while he thought the details of the job through. The Colonel wasn't the type of man he could bring himself to trust but as long as the pay was good he wouldn't ask too many questions. This time around, the pay _was_ good and the Colonel had provided enough information for Kynarus to get a good start. The turian just wanted to polish up on his shooting skills before he headed to Talerian. The last thing he needed was to get shot if he ever encountered any of Dieter Sturlmann's goons or Dieter himself.

* * *

Kynarus' frigate had once been in service with the turian military until this class of ship had been disbanded and presumably sent to the scrap heap. Kynarus had won this particular frigate from an old friend of his after a bet they had made, one which Kynarus had won much to his friend's discontent. That friend had been a naval officer in the turian military and had been hoping to use this frigate as his own private ship (those ideas never came to fruition, obviously). Ever since then Kynarus had been modifying the ship and improving it considerably, making it as fast as any ship in service with any military.

Usually a ship such as this would need a crew of about twenty but Kynarus had modified in such a way that it could be flown by itself as long as the onboard VI (Virtual Intelligence) was working the ship. Kynarus could switch off the autopilot anytime he felt like it and take the controls himself if he wanted to but usually he didn't have to. Getting from Point A to Point B was all he really needed to do and so he usually let the VI do the driving.

The frigate's exterior looked battered from past battles, scorch marks scattered and the paint job in places was fading. The interior was a completely different story however, Kynarus having made sure he kept the inside well maintained over the years he had properly owned the frigate. It was immaculately cleaned as often as Kynarus could do such a thing, the turian making sure that there was no clutter of any kind.

Kynarus had never been a fan of ships but had received some slight pilot training anyway, before he had properly joined the military. Back then he had been trying to figure out what kind of military career he would take up and so had tried being a pilot. That hadn't ended very well which was one reason why he had joined the infantry instead since the infantry, it had seemed, was far less complicated than flying a ship.

The frigate itself was parked in one of the public docking bays on the Citadel and it took a simple transit system trip to reach the bay, Kynarus climbing out of the cab outside of the docking bay's entrance. He would be departing for Talerian soon enough but first he would give his personal armoury a thorough check since he hadn't used any of the weapons he kept in there for months. Stepping through the door and following a short corridor, he soon arrived out into the docking bay area. It was a short walk to the docking tunnel that was connected to the side of his frigate and soon enough he was standing inside the airlock, the door closing behind him as the decontamination routine began. He stood still as it scanned him a few times, getting rid of any possible contaminants he might be carrying (he couldn't think of any he might have other than the alcohol running through his system) before the door in front of him opened, allowing him access into his ship. He had been thinking of getting rid of the decontamination routine, it didn't seem to be very helpful and it took a damn long time. The last thing he needed was to get stuck in the airlock while some people intent on killing him were attempting to break through the door behind him.

Now inside the familiar dull-grey corridors of his ship, Kynarus felt strangely at home. This was the place he had been calling home for the last few years although he tended to stay in on world hotels whenever he could. The inside of a ship could often feel a bit claustrophobic, especially if that ship was travelling through the vacuum of space. Then you would know there was nowhere outside to go.

Kynarus made his way to his quarters just as the ship's VI sensed his arrival on board. A soothing female voice broke the silence of the ship, a voice that Kynarus had become quite familiar with over the years.

"Welcome back, Kynarus," the voice said, "how has your day been so far?"

It was the same question every time and the VI wasn't intelligent enough to provide an answer. Kynarus had included such a question in its programming as an after thought, just so it made him feel more at home. He felt better if it didn't seem like he was the only person on the whole ship, even if the VI couldn't answer.

"Today was…interesting…" Kynarus said, trailing off into thought. Yes, today had been interesting so far. He had received his first proper assignment for months, even if the man he had got it from wasn't the kind he could bring himself to trust easily. Colonel Sommers had provided him with enough information to get started and an incentive to get the job done, that incentive being half a million credits.

The Colonel had lied to him about whether or not he knew what was inside the "package" Kynarus had been told to find. The Colonel _did_ know but had lied to the turian, probably because whatever was inside it was of a quite sensitive matter. Regardless of what was in it Kynarus had accepted the assignment, even if he was a bit unsure of some of the details. At first he had thought it to be a straightforward assignment in which he would find the package, return it to the Colonel or his seemingly mute bodyguard Johannes and get the half a million credits he had been promised. Now, from what he had heard at the meeting, it seemed that there were other people after the package. The kind of people who probably didn't mind killing so they could get their own way.

This Dieter Sturlmann guy just sounded like a bit of a nutcase but one who was in charge of some human corporation. This corporation, according to Sommers, was renowned for advanced weapons research and mind altering technology. Kynarus couldn't believe the last part no matter how hard he tried, it just seemed so absurd. Mind altering technology! Who would have thought of that?

Kynarus headed for his quarters, stepping inside and admiring the way the whole place looked so clean. He couldn't think the same way about himself though, unlike his quarters he was a mess. The way his quarters were clean was enough to make him feel good about himself. He hadn't particularly liked the clean-room style the Citadel was mostly comprised of but here, in his ship, this clean-room style seemed right.

An orange holographic image about a foot tall appeared at the end of the room on top of a short pedestal. It was the image of a female turian, one that had actually existed and he had loved but this hologram was merely the visual projection of the ship's Virtual Intelligence. He had built its image on the woman he had lost years ago as a sort of reminder, a painful reminder at that but he felt obligated to keep her memory going. He didn't want to forget her or the relationship they had had.

Female turians had much shorter horns running over the back of their head and their bodies were much more slender than those of their male counterparts. Their skin tone was always a bit lighter than that of a male's and their hips were wider to make room for developing a child.

Kynarus had lost faith in love after she had died. Now the only relationships he had with women are when he paid them to spend some "quality time" with him, although he hadn't done that for a few months now. He realized he was probably heading down a path of self-induced depression, probably because his life had sucked for a few months now. This new assignment should help him get off of that track but until he got the package things would remain the same.

"Anything happen while I was out?" Kynarus asked, passing the VI and heading for the large cabinet in the wall. He wasn't expecting much of an answer but he was sure even a VI could get the gist of the question.

"No, it has been a rather uneventful day today, sir."

Kynarus opened the cabinet and looked at the range of firearms stored inside. If he was going to head to Talerian to do this assignment he might need to use guns and it was better to be prepared than to be unprepared when something actually happened. If he encountered any of this Dieter Sturlmann guy's goons he may need to resort to using force, something which he wasn't afraid of doing and had done so in the past plenty of times before.

He pulled out one of the assault rifles, a Banshee model and one of the more common assault rifles. The Banshee line of rifles are manufactured by Elanus Risk Control, a turian weapons making firm that's well known for its reliable equipment that can commonly be found in use by security personnel and mercenaries just like Kynarus.

This particular assault rifle was slightly dusty, having been kept in the cabinet for a few months. Kynarus blew softly on the weapon and almost coughed when the dust billowed back at him, the turian waving it away from his face with one hand as he checked the weapon to see if it was still in a reliable working order. To him it seemed fine so he carelessly threw the weapon onto his bed, figuring that would be one of the ones he would bring with him down onto Talerian.

He removed one of the pistols from inside the cabinet, checking it over as well. It was a standard Striker pistol and it seemed to be in working order so he threw it onto the bed as well. He looked at the VI, frowning for a moment while he thought of whether he should leave yet or not. He supposed he should get going, the sooner being the better.

"Could you set a course for the main settlement on Talerian? I want to be able to leave in a few hours." He asked the VI. The holographic image of the female turian nodded in response, disappearing as it went off to start organizing the flight and the course.

Kynarus returned to checking his weapons, taking out the lone sniper rifle inside the cabinet. It was a Hammer model, yet another Elanus Risk Control weapon but very reliable nonetheless. He figured he should bring that along as well, throwing it onto the bed with the other weapons and shutting the cabinet.

If he was going to get back to his glory days of being a mercenary he thought he may as well dress for the occasion as well. He opened the larger cabinet in the corner of his quarters and found a suit of much cleaner, grey-blue armour he had been safekeeping for an occasion such as this for quite a while. If it was going to be his last job before he "retired" then he may as well use it.

Casually getting into the much cleaner and surprisingly comfortable set of blue-grey armour, he moved in front of the mirror on the wall and took a minute or two to admire the way he looked.

His time of admiring himself ended abruptly when the VI's voice broke into the room via the speakers near the ceiling. It seemed the ship was ready to depart and the VI was asking whether he would like the fly the ship out. He figured he should do it, seeing as this would be his last assignment.

He made his way to the small cockpit area and sat himself down in the pilot's chair. He had to wait a while before he actually got clearance from Citadel control to leave and when he finally did he didn't waste time: making sure all systems were up and running he flicked a switch and the docking tube detached itself from the frigate.

Grabbing hold of the throttle and one of the holographic pads he started the ship's engines, easing into a steady speed and flying out of the docking bay and over the dark but brightly lit cityscape of Citadel station. The whole place was just one massive city with the "claws" of the station looming high overhead, dotted with pinpoints of light against the darkness of space. Kynarus wasn't one to care much for spectacular views such as this and so, without thinking about it any longer, he engaged the engines at a legal speed and sent the frigate flying away from the Citadel and out into the star-speckled blackness of space, leaving one place behind him and heading for another.

Talerian was one of those worlds that no one except for its inhabitants really cared about. It was yet another human colony out on the edges of chartered space according to what he had heard. The humans were always trying to set up colonies way out in the middle of nowhere and then complained when things didn't work out. It seemed to Kynarus to be basic human stupidity, not that he had anything against humans. He just couldn't fathom why they would bother trying to set up colonies on barren planets well away from any other trace of civilization.

Activating the autopilot once the frigate was well away from the Citadel, Kynarus sat back in the pilot's chair and closed his eyes. The more he thought about this assignment the more it bothered him so he decided to try and not think about it, which was surprisingly difficult. So many questions bugged him, such as what could be so important inside the package that it could cause a political crisis. The Colonel's last words to him before he had left had just raised more questions.

_I wouldn't open the package if I were you, when you do get it…God only knows what might happen…_


	5. Interlude I

Seven years before the events of the last chapter…

**Location: **Outpost 3A, the barren world of Hallian

First Lieutenant Kynarus Vakarian, dressed in the military uniform of a turian NCO of the main infantry, picked up the only luggage case he had bothered to bring with him and started for the extended ramp and open door of the shuttle. Dust from outside had been stirred up in the shuttle's landing and a thin cloud hung around the doorway, Kynarus using one hand to wave the majority of it away from his face.

The first thing he noticed about Hallian was the temperature: it was strangely cool, a cold breeze billowing across the open landing zone as he started down the steps of the shuttle's ramps. The air fell into stillness seconds later as Kynarus set his feet onto the dirt and gravel of the makeshift landing area, the surface crunching underneath his feet. He took a breath of the air and noticed that it was a little thin, quite unlike what he was used to. He would get used to it soon enough, it was like living at a high altitude and having to put up with the thin oxygen there.

Looking around it took him only a moment to realize just how insignificant the military operation here was. The landing area was just an open stretch of flattened ground with a fence around it, Kynarus noticing the gatehouse and gate up ahead: the two turian soldiers sitting inside the small gatehouse looked quite bored.

Kynarus hadn't been expecting much from this place which had been his original idea; otherwise he might as well be fighting insurgents or something. The reason he had chosen Hallian of all places had been because of the lack of action and would provide an excellent chance to recuperate after fighting insurgents and pirates (and other types of scum) a month or so earlier on some other, seemingly insignificant world. He had seen many good soldiers die there, having only been a Junior Lieutenant then. He had been forced to take command of the few that had been left alive after the first wave after their commanding officer took a bullet to the head.

They had managed to not only save the military base but the small settlement nearby. He had been attributed to having lead this valiant defence and had received a few awards and a sudden rise in the ranks of the military. However, he knew he couldn't have done it by himself: if it hadn't been for the other soldiers, many of whom had died fighting, that base and the settlement would have fallen easily.

After all that fighting and having seen friends die before him Kynarus had decided to try and take some time of. Of course, his superiors had never been ones to let him take time off for being a war hero seeing that his official leave wasn't for a few months. He had managed to get the next best thing which had been a transfer to some insignificant military base on some little-known world which was also sparsely populated.

Kynarus was looking forward to a few months of inaction here on Hallian, simply running the security here at the base. He would be responsible for a few squads of bored soldiers which sounded easy but in actual fact would probably prove to be quite frustrating. Bored soldiers were as troublesome as mutinying soldiers since when someone was bored they would often do things they wouldn't normally do. Such examples were starting fight clubs or making up "little games", some of which Kynarus had taken part in himself in the past.

Apparently Kynarus would be relieving the current head of security here at this base since the current guy was suffering from severe stress. Kynarus couldn't figure out why, maybe he just couldn't take the pressures of the job.

There were a trio of turian officers standing outside the shuttle, waiting by an open-top four-wheeled vehicle. One of them had a pair of luggage cases with him. This one was probably the guy Kynarus had come to relieve, he could tell by the audacious smile on his face.

Kynarus started towards the three officers, the smiling one stepping towards him and carrying both luggage cases. He was intent on boarding the shuttle and managed a smirk as he passed Kynarus. Kynarus ignored him and stopped in front of the two officers, noting that one was a Captain and the other a Sergeant Major.

"You must be Kynarus Vakarian," the Captain said, "I'm Captain Jakalas. Welcome to Hallian, Lieutenant." He paused and gestured with one hand towards the Sergeant major. "This is Sergeant Major Kia'shan. He'll be your second-in-command from here on out."

Kynarus took in the pair of officers, noticing that both didn't seem too excited by his arrival. Captain Jakalas was tall and carried with him an air of authority, his face covered with an intricate set of black and white facial markings. Sergeant Major Kia'shan was a couple of inches shorter but was well built for a turian and had the look of someone who took physical workouts too seriously. His face was more bare and a silver-grey colour.

The shuttle by now had retracted its ramp and was lifting off, carrying away the very turian that Kynarus had come to replace. Judging from the way the guy had left smiling he figured he was glad to have left and let someone else take over.

"This base is simply known as 'Outpost 3A' and will be your new home for as long as necessary," the Captain continued, "it's not often war heroes come to Hallian. Usually we just get the new recruits…"

"I'm an exception," Kynarus said simply, keeping his expression neutral. He regarded the Captain and the Sergeant Major, trying to figure out what kind of people they were so he could act accordingly. The Captain looked the stern type and not one who seemed to have a sense of humour, probably one of those by-the-book types that Kynarus never got along with very well.

"What was the problem with the man I'm replacing?" Kynarus asked, "He looked fine to me…"

The Captain shrugged, both not caring and lacking a good idea of the last Lieutenant's problem.

"Apparently there was too much stress but I just think he had had enough of the sheer amount of inaction here on Hallian. Hopefully you won't end up doing the same…"

Kynarus didn't plan on it. His new position here would involve keeping the soldiers under control and organizing their training exercises so as to keep their abilities refined. He really couldn't see how much stress could go with that so he assumed that the man he was replacing here on Hallian had merely gotten himself a better posting somewhere else. It didn't matter, not to him or the Captain, so that was the last Kynarus thought about it.

The Captain gestured to the buggy that had obviously been his and the Sergeant Major's means of arrival to the landing zone.

"Climb in and we'll take you to the base itself," the Captain said as they started for the parked open-top buggy, "As you can see, there isn't much of a base here. The main structures are further down the valley."

Kynarus could see the large, silver-grey buildings in the distance. There were several of them with multi-storeys and all were nestled at the end of the valley. It looked to be a vulnerable position but Kynarus doubted that there would ever be any sort of attack here so he figured the position of the base was understandable. It was the cheapest land they could find by the look of it and not too far from the main settlement. The settlement itself, from what Kynarus had read, had a population of only about ten thousand and was home mostly to humans. It seemed there were humans everywhere nowadays, the species attempting to set up colonies on some of the farthest worlds in chartered space, some of which not even the turians had bothered with. The humans were a determined species, Kynarus could give them that.

Kynarus sat him on the back seat of the small four-door buggy while the Sergeant Major climbed into the driver's seat. The Captain sat next to him and turned around slightly so he could look at Kynarus, beginning to talk again as the Sergeant Major started the buggy's engines and began driving.

"Have you had much experience with training soldiers?" The Captain asked, "It doesn't matter if you haven't though, mind you, I'm just curious to know…"  
"A little," Kynarus replied, "not much though. Besides, how hard could it possibly be?"

The Captain chuckled, having a good idea of the truth of the matter. Kynarus didn't like the chuckle though, it made him feel nervous.

Meanwhile, the Sergeant Major had pulled up to the gate and was waiting for his authorization to clear with the guards. It took only a moment, the guards seeing their commanding officer inside the buggy and letting them through without any hassle. The Sergeant Major resumed with driving to the base while the Captain kept talking with Kynarus.

"There's only about thirty soldiers stationed here and most are the type that have never seen any combat," the Captain continued, "most are reckless and some are only in their late teens. You see, the job of the soldiers here is to keep the place secure since it acts as a sort of stop-off point for many military vessels.

"We aren't expecting much in the way of an attack so don't expect anything to happen while you're here. Hallian is one of the most insignificant worlds in known space which might explain why the humans have set up a colony here. They seem to have a fascination with insignificant planets."

Kynarus nodded along with what the Captain was saying, unable but to agree with what the Captain said about there being little chance of attack.

"The only things in this region of space we have to worry about are the common sorts of scum, such as mercenaries and pirates. None have bothered with Hallian so far so at least we know this planet is beyond their interest," the Captain said, "this will probably be unlike your last assignment, Lieutenant. Unlike then, when you were fighting all sorts of scum, here you'll be lucky if you got to squash a bug that might be buzzing around you. Which leads me to my next question: What compelled you to get a transfer here?"

Kynarus knew the answer to this question quite well but wasn't sure whether he should tell the Captain the truth. Kynarus needed some time on an uninteresting posting just so he could clear his mind but he doubted the Captain would really think highly of such a reason.

"It was a…accident…" Kynarus said slowly, quickly thinking of some poor but believable excuse, "I guess my superiors didn't think of putting a so-called 'war hero' to use on some other dangerous battlefront and so I ended up here. I don't mind, though…"  
The Captain gave a doubtful expression but soon enough it changed back to his usual stern one, accompanied by his now familiar serious tone of voice.

"You are a war hero, Lieutenant. At least, everybody else says so. You did well with the odds you had and you shouldn't doubt yourself just because they made an example of you on galactic broadcasts. In times like these people need heroes and so the media will do anything it can to give them to people…"

Kynarus' attention had diverted from the Captain and had shifted to the base up ahead. The perimeter was fenced and guarded here and there, the grounds behind the fence mostly empty aside from the occasional patrol. It seemed that the majority of the life in this base was inside, a fact that made sense since it was so cold outside.

"Being considered a hero can be a bit of a burden though," the Captain said as the Sergeant Major stopped the buggy outside of the main administrative building which in actual fact was just a small one storey square shaped structure. A pair of bored looking soldiers stood guard at the front door but otherwise there was no other activity.

"People will be expecting much from you and they'll be expecting it to be the right thing," the Captain said, climbing out of the buggy with the Sergeant Major. Kynarus followed suit, the trio standing outside the administrative building as Kynarus heard the Captain through. What he was saying made sense and for a moment Kynarus was beginning to doubt why he had made himself get sent here…

"The worst thing you could do with your hero status is mess it up," the Captain said, starting towards the door of the administrative building. He stopped and turned around at the door, looking straight at Kynarus and then gesturing towards the Sergeant Major.

"The Sergeant Major here will show you to your quarters," the Captain said, "I, on the other hand, have some important business to attend you. Good day, Lieutenant."

The Captain disappeared into the building, the door sliding shut behind him. The Sergeant Major turned around, glancing at Kynarus and frowning.

"The Captain, he's a bit old fashioned," the Sergeant Major said, "you'll get used to it, though. I know I have."

The Sergeant Major hit the accelerator again and started towards one of the larger structures, stopping outside the door. The pair climbed out of the buggy, Kynarus following the Sergeant Major's lead as they started through the door and into the corridors of the barracks.

The interior had the same dull-metal grey of the building's exterior but was surprisingly tidy and well maintained. The pair passed a few soldiers on their way down the main corridor who saluted when they saw who the two were. The building itself looked able to maintain a lot of troops but there seemed to be hardly any around, which might explain the lack of soldiers outside as well.

Kynarus followed the Sergeant Major to an elevator which they took to the second of the three floors. Here the building was just as empty and devoid of life save for one room they passed, a dormitory of some sort where a lot of talking seemed to be originating from.

Regardless, the pair ignored it and the Sergeant Major showed Kynarus to one of the better looking rooms with all the comforts of home. There was a bed, a smaller connecting bathroom and a table. As well as that everything seemed to be neat and tidy, containing no trace of the room's previous occupant save for the name on the door.

"Nothing too special," the Sergeant Major said, "nothing here is. If you want, I can show you around…"

Kynarus shook his head.

"No need," he said, setting his luggage case on the single bunk inside the room, "I can find my own way. Besides, haven't you got better things to do?"

The Sergeant Major nodded, agreeing whole-heartedly.

"Yes, I do as a matter of fact. I'll see you around, Lieutenant." With that, the Sergeant Major had left, leaving Kynarus to his own devices.

Kynarus surveyed his quarters for a moment. If this was the sort of place he would be calling home for the next few months then he thought he would try and get used to it, which included getting used to the sheer lack of life here at the base. If there were only about thirty soldiers here at the base and this building looked like it could support twice that amount then maybe he had found the right place after all. It was quiet and safe, the threat of attack minimal and the soldiers that were already here reduced to wasting their time with silly games.

Stepping out of the room, Kynarus went back to the other, larger dormitory-type room he and the Sergeant Major had passed earlier. He stood in the doorway, watching as a group of ten soldiers in regulation uniforms stood arguing about some obscure topic. At one end of the group and separated from the others was, surprisingly, a female turian who seemed to be doing the most yelling. She only looked young, maybe in her early twenties but she certainly seemed to be getting in on whatever they were arguing about.

None of them had noticed Kynarus' presence and so were continuing with their yelling and use of expletives until someone stepped towards the female and swung with one hand clenched into a fist. Kynarus lost his smile when this happened, until he realized the whole time they hadn't been arguing: they had been betting. The other nine soldiers had their credit pads out while the female and the other soldier had begun fighting it out in the middle of the dorm, the soldier's punch connecting with nothing but air as the female ducked with surprising speed and kicked out with one foot, catching the male soldier's legs and sending him tumbling onto the floor. The soldiers watching cheered her on as she waited for her opponent to get back up. He did, slowly but surely and charged at her.

She sidestepped the lunge easily, turning around as he rushed past her and pushing him into one of the bunks. His head hit the side of the bunk and he fell onto the floor, groaning and swearing under his breath. The other soldiers cheered again until one of them noticed Kynarus standing in the doorway, the others soon falling silent.

"Is this what you soldiers do in your spare time?" Kynarus asked, unable to help but frown, "bet on fights?"

The female, her face a silver and mostly bare type, managed an innocent expression as she helped her opponent up onto his feet.

"You must be our new NCO," she said, "the last guy got sick of us. Not that it matters, he was an idiot anyway…"  
Kynarus couldn't help but smile at this remark. If this was the truth then maybe his work here would be cut out for him but he would make sure he didn't leave like the last guy did.

"I'm actually very different from the last guy," Kynarus said, "for one thing, I'm not an idiot. For another, I would probably end up participating in these fights of yours since I'm a fun loving guy…"  
The female smiled, able to see where this was heading.

"Is that an invitation for a fight, Lieutenant?" The female asked.

Kynarus thought about this for a moment. She looked the young and reckless type, typical of a soldier who thought they were good at everything. It would be up to him to change that perception.

"I don't like hitting women…"

"Alright then, that's fine with me," the female said, "besides, we haven't even been introduced to one another. What's your name?"  
"Kynarus Vakarian…"  
"I'm Lalias Lytherax and I'm the medic for the squad," the female replied, "I'm sure you'll change your mind about a fight soon, Kynarus. I don't see why not."

Kynarus took a moment to take in the female, all he could see of her, as he thought about his response. She was certainly good looking, better than most young women he met although she did seem to have a fiery attitude.

"Some other time, Lalias," Kynarus said, turning around and starting on his way back to his quarters. He was sure, even during his first day there, that he would be seeing her around quite often.


	6. Katherine

**Location: **Outskirts of Deckar's Stand, the main settlement on Talerian

The brown-haired woman in the red-brown jacket was the only one in the dirtied, poorly-maintained courtyard in the warehouse district of Deckar's Stand. This particular area was on the edges of the settlement and well out of the way of public eyes, which was the reason why she was here and preparing to meet someone she had only met briefly a few weeks ago.

Deckar's Stand was a small settlement on the little-known planet of Talerian, a mostly barren world of sweeping rocky plains with an oasis occasionally dotting the horizon. The settlement was home to about thirty to fifty thousand souls, most of them human. The only alien races here would be the volus and the salarians, traders of these species occasionally arriving with goods to sell and money to spend. Otherwise Talerian belonged to the humans and was officially part of the Human Systems Alliance.

The old warehouse district of Deckar's Stand had once been a bustling centre of business and commerce in the colony's early days. Back then, Talerian had been the place to be for entrepreneurs looking to profit in on the bustling mining trade of the planet since Talerian was rich with important metals and other sorts of minerals. That had been until some big corporation had swooped in and bought the mines, putting everyone here out of business and thus allowing the warehouse district to be abandoned and fall into ruin. Now it was mostly home to criminals, rodents and other associated vermin.

The lone soul spending her time here in this courtyard was twenty-seven years old and considered herself a "freelancer". That was simply her opinion and she was quite used to other people referring to her as "mercenary filth" and the like but she didn't really care what other people thought of her. She just worked for the money, the money being all that mattered.

Her name was Katherine Tyler, once a marine herself in the regular Alliance infantry but had been dishonourably discharged during her second year as a marine. That part of her past was something she barely thought about and something she didn't particularly care about either seeing as her career as a "freelancer" had been so successful. She had been able to buy what she had always wanted and had the money to buy all sorts of high-tech equipment to make whatever assignments she received even easier. Even now she had a heavily upgraded Stiletto model pistol holstered at her waist, one of the many excellent weapons the well-known Haliat Armoury produced.

Katherine had sat herself down on one of the courtyard's benches, seizing the chance to fix up the ponytail in her light brown hair. Her eyes matched the colour of her hair and many human males would most definitely find her attractive. However, she wasn't the type who let men get to her very easily. Being a mercenary (aka "freelancer") taught someone they couldn't trust anybody, this type of belief having kept her at an acceptable distance from the opposite sex and anybody else she didn't particularly like. Some would say she was "hard to reach" but she simply believed that they shouldn't even try "reaching" her.

Looking around, she took in the courtyard which was walled on two sides by old, dilapidated warehouses that had obviously seen better days. The paint on the walls was flaking off and many windows were missing, having been busted out many years earlier. The buildings itself looked dark and foreboding, their interiors mostly empty after the valuables kept inside had been cleared out when the privately owned businesses that had owned them had gone bankrupt or had been forced off of Talerian. Such out-of-the-way structures made excellent hideouts for law-breaking types but fortunately Katherine was yet to find any, unless she counted herself.

Katherine knew the risks that went with being a mercenary, the risk of death lurking around every corner. She wasn't hesitant to kill; if she was she would have been killed by someone else already. Killing merely came with the job and her days as a marine had left her somewhat desensitised to violence. She was used to being shot at and shooting back although such happenings usually only happened when something had gone wrong on the job. Shooting was usually a last resort, if she could get through an assignment with as little killing as possible than she would consider it a job well done.

Katherine turned to look out at the brown rocky hills that enfolded from the edges of the courtyard that weren't walled in by warehouses. A lot of the Talerian wilderness resembled this, a brown and rocky landscape with only the hardiest of plants growing. Even those plants were scattered, save for the few oasis's that could be found in the middle of the cold, barren landscape. These provided a spot of colour in the seemingly endless seas of brown.

Looking up, the sky was partially cloudy for a day such as this. The air was cool and a chilly breeze occasionally rolled over the plains, winding through the buildings and into any little nooks it could find and in turn causing a few loud whistles as it made its way through. It was strangely creepy, as if the empty buildings and cold breezes were hiding much darker secrets.

Of course, Katherine made sure such atmosphere related bullshit didn't get to her and possibly affect her performance. There was always the chance that someone would barge into view and start shooting, something which had happened numerous times in Katherine's career as a "freelancer" (or "mercenary" to the less understanding of this type of career).

Katherine was already beginning to doubt why she should even be here. To her it seemed a great waste of time and a great opportunity for her current employer to double-cross her, another type of thing that had happened to her on several occasions. It seemed she was a magnet for the types of employers that were intent on getting her to do their dirty work before trying to kill her, although so far she had managed to keep herself well and truly alive. There were numerous planets with colonies that were too dangerous for her to venture back to after past events. Such return trips would just be asking for a shootout and so she had managed to keep herself moving from one colonized world to the next, finding work wherever it may be waiting for her.

One recent assignment was the reason why she was waiting here in some dilapidated old courtyard which was completely devoid of life save for her. Lying on the ground at her feet while she sat and pondered recent events was a large, dented and slightly scorched metal container. It was about a metre and a half long and about half of its length as width. The container looked to be of Alliance build and the designation, printed on the container in large white characters which had faded over the years, read "BMH-0018". She wasn't quite sure what that meant and she wasn't at all clued in to what could be within the container. She had merely been told to go and get it and bring it here, which is what she had done. Now all she needed was payment and everything would be fine and she could leave Talerian a little richer.

The container itself was surprisingly light, the majority of the weight seeming to have been from the case itself and not from whatever was inside. The first time she had picked it up she had instantly assumed it was empty until she had noticed the lock that was keeping the container shut and its contents hidden from prying eyes. It was some sort of high-tech lock that needed some sort of special key to open, the panel lined with buttons displaying numbers and letters. She assumed that the key was needed to engage the unlocking procedure before a certain code had to be punched in, whatever that code was.

That's why she doubted this container was empty: if it was, why bother keeping such an advanced lock on it? One that was obviously more trouble working than any other sort of locking mechanism Katherine had seen. If the container had been opened and the contents removed she doubted the lock would have been shut again, so she was hoping that its contents were still inside all safe and sound for her employer to enjoy.

That was another thing that made her a bit unsure about this whole assignment: the fact that her employer hadn't at all told her about what was inside the container. He had given her all the details about where it was probably located and a few possible methods of getting a hold of it but otherwise he hadn't mentioned anything about its contents. When she had asked the German accented man he had simply reply that it wasn't of her concern. As well as that he had specifically instructed her not to attempt opening it because if she did manage to open it she could jeopardize her chances of getting paid.

Still, her curiosity was as great as ever. Well, at least it had been until she had seen the complexity of the lock on it. After that all hopes of getting the container open had been quashed there and then, leaving her with the only option but to meet her employer and get paid for a job well done.

Her employer had never mentioned anything about such a complex lock but it wasn't her concern: if her employer couldn't open it she would still get paid, otherwise there would be trouble and she would be deprived of an opportunity to make easy money.

The whole assignment had been easy. According to Dieter Sturlmann, her employer with the German accent who said he was head of some big corporation back on Earth, the container had been brought to Talerian a short time ago in an Alliance freighter. Sooner or later it would be moved to a secure facility somewhere on Talerian so it had been Katherine's job to get the container before that happened and contact Dieter once she had. After that they would meet here, in this courtyard at a predetermined time and she would give him the container and in turn she would get paid.

Getting the container had been easier than she had thought: the Alliance freighter had docked in a privately owned docking bay in Deckar's Stand and she had managed to talk her way past the guards and get aboard, posing as a certified Alliance mechanic (forged identification was easy to get hold of if you knew where to look and who to talk to). Once on board she had located one of the ship's computers and pinpointed the container inside the ship's cargo hold and she would have simply gone to get it if it hadn't been for the restricted access put in place on the doors into the hold. To get past them she needed authorization in the form of a keycard and so she had found her way to the Captain's quarters, catching the man unawares and knocking him out cold. She had managed to get into the cargo hold easily after that before getting the container and high-tailing it out of the docking bay. This had all happened only the other day and so far no Alliance soldiers had managed to track her down. They had very few leads and before they worked out her identity she would be long gone, off of Talerian and probably on her way to somewhere far more interesting.

Glancing at the chronometer on her wrist she realized that Dieter Sturlmann was late by about twenty minutes. Whatever was keeping him better be important since she would have liked to get this assignment over and done with, receiving her incredibly high amount of reward money and leaving as soon as she could. Dieter had promised her two-hundred and fifty thousand credits for her troubles, this having been enough of an incentive for her to carry out the assignment.

Now all that was in the way of getting that reward money was the fact her current employer wasn't here yet. She had made sure she had been on time only to find that Dieter and his goons were nowhere in sight. Maybe they were standing her up? Or maybe they were planning to double-cross her? Another possibility was the fact they could have got caught up in traffic or something but it was surprising how little traffic there was here in Deckar's Stand.

Sitting back and feeling the cool breeze make her hair shake about a little, Katherine looked up at the sky which was always a sort of dull-blue colour, grey almost. Grey clouds were beginning to form overhead, another reason for her to be annoyed at Dieter's lateness. She didn't need to be stuck in the rain; that would be simply inconvenient.

"Where the fuck are you?" She said aloud to no one in particular. There was no response save for the whistling of the wind through the vacant warehouses behind her and on her right. One hand went to her holstered pistol, a few of her fingers impatiently tapping the butt of the weapon while she waited.

Another five minutes passed and nothing happened. Dieter and his armour-clad goons were nowhere in sight. She would wait another ten minutes maybe before she left and went to contact Dieter himself and find out what happened to their planned meeting. She really wanted to get paid and not to get stood up like this, something which she really hated.

While she sat pondering such thoughts her mind began to reflect upon some of her more notable past experiences. Some were certainly better than others but none compared to the day she done what she did to get herself kicked out of the military. It had been controversial, most definitely, but it still had been enough for some of the brass to request her removal from the service. Disgraced marines like her often went on to become mercenaries, smugglers or some other barely-legal trade. The Alliance knew this so recently they had begun trying to keep the amount of dishonourable discharges minimal in the hopes of decreasing the amount of ex-marines the current marines might end up fighting. At least, she had read about this somewhere and how some guy had written an essay about how disgraced marines often applied their skills to other careers.

Katherine didn't care about her discharge very much and had realized over time that even if she hadn't been discharged she probably would have quit sooner or later. The military was full of rules and regulations as well as annoying superior officers, these reasons being enough to make her feel pleased when she was finally out of the military and playing by her own rules. She didn't fight for what was "right" anymore: rather, she was fighting for what she felt like. Sometimes she would play two sides against each other for the fun of it and emerge a hell of a lot richer while either side went at killing each other, like some hero from an old Western movie…

* * *

**About seven years earlier…**

The roar of the Alliance drop-ship was seemingly all around, the opened rear ramp providing a speedy view of the forest down below. At this speed the drop-ship and its crew would be arriving at their location in a matter of minutes, possibly giving them the element of surprise on their enemy.

Sitting in the corner of the passenger section with an assault rifle laid on her lap was Corporal Katherine Tyler. She was much different to the mercenary she would later become, lacking that fiery look in her brown eyes which would only come into her appearance after her discharge from the 302nd Infantry Division. Now though she was a regular soldier with only a small amount of combat missions under her belt but a clean record to go with it. Her superiors had recommended her to join much specialized combat forces because of her skills but that hadn't happened yet. Here she was, still stuck in the regular infantry and in a squad full of morons.

Today would change her opinion on the Alliance and on life itself even if she wasn't aware of the coming of that change. In her eyes she could see herself and the rest of the squad completing the upcoming mission without any problems. Of course, she would turn out to be wrong about that.

Outfitted in the standard dark grey combat armour that all members of the infantry received, Katherine checked her assault rifle while she sat and made sure that all was right with the weapon. Her pistol was holstered and would be her fallback weapon if something happened to her primary one, whatever that happening might be.

There were about twelve others inside the passenger section of the drop-ship as it sped over a woodland type forest. Most of these were men, the type that had nothing better to do than to hit on her and the other female of the squad. That other female was Private Eileen Stiller and was sitting across from Katherine although the pair hadn't said much on the journey. They were both too deep into their own thoughts and whether or not they would end up getting killed on the inevitable fighting that would come. Katherine was already used to the idea of death more so than the other members of her squad and so wasn't too bothered by it. She had confidence the mission would run smoothly just as long as they stuck to the original plan and there were no sudden snags. Snags, in this kind of work, ended up being very, very detrimental to the mission and the squad.

Katherine glanced at the other squad members, taking note of the ones she knew better. Sitting right at the front and by the open ramp, staring out at the sweeping view below them was Sergeant Ferris Faulkner. Katherine didn't think very highly of him, having come to know him and associate him with such colourful terms like "prick" and "asshole". He wasn't well liked by the other squad members either, mainly because he obviously had no clue on how to run a squad and had ended up a Sergeant because his daddy was a Major and a high up in the ranks of the 302nd.

Faulkner had been in charge of training his squad for most of basic and had been an asshole at it. Night marches, day marches, daily ten mile runs and other excruciating unnecessary physical exercise had been common while he had trained them. Often he wouldn't actually participate in the exercise, merely watching from the sidelines. No other squad had been pushed this much but that may explain why their squad had been considered the best in the division. Being put through physical hell had obvious long-term benefits, one look at the physiques of each of them proved that.

There was Private Heywood, a fidgety type of guy who came from a broken home in Denver, on Earth. He seemed the least able of the squad which might explain why Faulkner pushed him around the most, the Sergeant finding any excuse to get Faulkner to do the dirtiest jobs he could find. Heywood was yet to vocally complain, knowing full well what consequences would await him if he spoke up.

The heavy weapons expert was Private Decker, a large and bad-mouthy soldier with bad breath and an even worse sense of humour. He was sitting on Katherine's left, fiddling with a missile launcher in an impatient fashion. He was the type hat liked the action that they often got into, tending to blow things up for no apparent reason. He was funny that way but his jokes weren't very funny at all.

The one that probably enjoyed committing acts of violence the most was Private Ross, a large man in his thirties with an even worse mouth than Private Decker but lacking a proper sense of humour. He was the type of guy who tended to expend copious amounts of ammunition when hardly any was needed and was also the type of guy who made a good time of pissing off the Sergeant. When he did that everyone but the Sergeant had a good laugh and unlike most of the other squad members, Ross showed no fear for whatever the Sergeant might have in store for his punishment.

Katherine managed a glance out of the open rear ramp, watching as the forest went past them at surprising pace down below. They were going fast and they were intent on getting the element of surprise on the enemy who was apparently holed up in a small and mostly deserted settlement in the middle of the forest. The planet's name was Serenity but unfortunately things hadn't been so serene on Serenity for quite some time. That's why Katherine, her squad and some other squads from the 302nd Infantry were here. To put it simply, they were going to make Serenity serene again by removing the peace-threatening problem using force. Diplomacy had been tried by the politicians and it had failed so Admiral Hackett, one of the big-wigs of the Alliance military, had had no choice but to send in the soldiers. The Council hadn't been too helpful, it was still strongly opposed against humans in general and wasn't willing to help very much, if not at all.

Katherine didn't have a problem with that. If politics succeeded all the time she and her squad would be out of a job. They were the ones the politicians sent in when diplomacy had been tried and had failed. Reasoning with scumbag insurgents had never really worked in the past anyway and gave the politicians more reason to send in the soldiers.

The insurgents, a rogue organization of bigots that had been doing all sorts of strikes against a turian colony in a nearby system, had been tracked all the way here to Serenity. Serenity was an inhabitable world covered with woodland style forests and cold oceans, rain and snow being the most common weather patterns here. It was just right for a major colony to be set up but had only been recently discovered.

The reason it had remained hidden for so long was the harsh ion clouds at the system's edge. They effectively wreaked havoc on any electronic systems and had, until recently, made this system too dangerous to chart and travel into. That had been until some adventurous types had successfully passed through the ion clouds and got their ship's systems working again. A colony had been set up and the planet had been named "Serenity" because of its seemingly peaceful setting. It had remained peaceful until the rogue and heavily armed bigots had set up base, spewing out propaganda on all channels which could be heard in nearby systems. It had pissed enough people off, both human and alien, to warrant some action. As well as that, these bigots (who called themselves the "Earthen Knights" for some reason) had blown up a few important buildings on a turian colony in the next system. Sure, not a lot of humans liked turians but not many had been game enough to blow something of theirs up.

Her squad's mission was simple: they would be the first squad in and would secure the perimeter of a small settlement deep within one of the planet's large woodland forests, providing reconnaissance for the next three squads who would be assaulting the headquarters and any needed covering fire as well. These bigots were well-armed and well-trained which is certainly uncommon with such minor organizations but would probably make the fighting a little more fair. If all went to plan than Katherine wouldn't need to do much shooting and neither would the rest of her squad.

Sergeant Faulkner broke the silence that had fallen onto the squad in an abrupt fashion, looking at his squad with some noticeable contempt on his face. He tapped at his helmet's in-built radio and suddenly a familiar and gruff voice was filtering through each squad member's radio, the Sergeant having opened the channel for all of them to hear.

"…there might be some civilians left in that settlement," the voice said to Katherine's surprise. It seemed General George Kessler, the man who had been put in charge of this assault operation, had been speaking to the Sergeant and the Sergeant had opened the channel for all of them to hear. Now the General started speaking to the whole squad in General, his voice tinged with noticeable concern.

General George Kessler was someone Katherine had met a few times, especially recently when this whole "Earthen Knights" crisis started. Admiral Hackett had put him in charge of this operation, mainly because the General had a lot of experience with dealing with insurgents and other enemies of the Alliance. He had even served as a young Private in the First Contact War, which said something about his age. His voice had a Texan sounding accent and he even had a taste for whiskey and other strong alcoholic drinks. One notable feature of General Kessler was the fact he had an artificial left leg, having lost his original and organic one in a grenade explosion. Apparently it had simply been blown during his first tour of duty in the First Contact War during the Battle for Shanxi, the only colony to have fallen into the hands of an alien aggressor. The General didn't speak much about such a defeat but it was obviously on his mind a lot, especially since he despised turians. They had been the ones that had left him without a real left leg and had almost killed him during the battle.

"This changes everything," the General continued, "all intelligence had showed a complete lack of civilians in the settlement but it seems that's not the case. Recent intel has suggested that there is a large civilian population inside that settlement and that many of the insurgents have disguised themselves as civilians and disguised civilians as insurgents…Or something like that…" He trailed off briefly while he gathered his train of speech into something easier to follow. "If you find any civilians you are to detain them immediately. Under no circumstances are any of you to shoot them unless you are absolutely certain they are the enemy, is that understood?"

Katherine didn't like the sound of it. These "Earthen Knight" lunatics had obviously taken advantage of the settlement's civilian population and having had some prior knowledge of the attack. This fact disturbed Katherine slightly and looking around she could see it had disturbed some of the other squad members as well.

"We have no idea how but they know you're coming," the General said, "we can't pull out now so we'll be sending you in regardless. Just remember, we don't want any civilian casualties, is that understood?"

There were a few reluctant but otherwise affirmative replies via their helmet radios to the General. Sergeant Faulkner sat silent, waiting for the General to continue.

"Watch out for each other and don't get killed down there," the General said, "General Kessler out."

The signal closed and Sergeant Faulkner turned his attention to his squad, many of whom looked annoyed or somewhat surprised. Katherine was suddenly quite worried since already the plans that had been made had been ruined by the fact that the insurgents, these "Earthen Knights" knew they were coming.

Private Ross spoke for the squad first, his face creased into an annoyed grimace as he lay down his support rifle and looked towards the Sergeant. He seemed the most annoyed out of the squad, none of them having expected this sort of thing to occur.

"How the fuck did they find out about the attack?" He asked, "It doesn't make any sense. Then again, trust us to get into some shit like this…"

Sergeant Faulkner gave an expression which told he didn't have time for this but when Ross saw it he merely laughed, unafraid of whatever "wrath" the Sergeant might decide to bear down onto him. Instead, the Sergeant gave a quick scan of the squad members sitting before him and returned straight to the matter at hand: the attack.

"The mission is still as planned. We secure the perimeter and make sure the other squads reach their destinations in one piece, is that understood? No one plays hero and no one dies today!"

_No one dies today…_Where had she heard that before? Of course, it was the same thing the Sergeant said every time they went out on a high-risk combat operation. So far, none of them had died but then again they hadn't seen much combat in general. A few missions had been done here and there, it had just been nothing special and never in a really big operation. Today's mission was to have been routine up until the last minute announcement by General Kessler. Now this mission would probably get a lot interesting.

"If you find any civilians you put them under close guard," the Sergeant said before turning to face Private Heywood, "you, Private, will be doing guard duty for any civilians we find. Understand?"

"Yuh-yuh-yes…sir…" Heywood said, uncertain of himself and stammering slightly. He quickly saluted but looked like he had just been woken up, having stared out of the drop-ship through the open rear ramp for most of the journey. Up until now he hadn't said a word.

Faulkner took a look outside, seeing that they had begun their descent towards a small set of ramshackle looking buildings. These buildings resembled shanties save for one that was at the centre of the small township, this one being far more sophisticated and typical of Alliance built outposts. It stood out from the rest of the ramshackle township and was probably why the Earthen Knights, bigots with big guns and access to all sorts of technology, had decided to set up their planetary headquarters inside the facility.

There was a sudden, continuous "shredding" sound as an out of view anti-air turret fired at the squad's drop-ship, tracer fire lacing the air with white-hot streaks. Something came through the wall behind Katherine, missing her by a few inches and leaving a white-yellow trail through the air. That trail caught the soldier sitting on the other side of the aisle and next to Private Eileen Stiller. The soldier, a young dark-haired Private who could have had a rather illustrious military career, fell backwards as a spray of dark red blood exploded from the front of his helmet. Ross, who was sitting next to him, swore loudly as blood splattered onto his helmet's visor and was more disgusted by that fact than by the young Private's death.

This had all happened in a matter of seconds and by the time the Private was slumped dead against the wall Katherine had only just realized her lucky escape and the unfortunate fate of a fellow soldier. The Sergeant had most certainly been wrong with what he had said only seconds earlier, about nobody getting killed today.

The anti-air fire pummelled the side of the drop-ship as it descended, high-velocity rounds tearing through the metal and blowing small holes in the walls around the squad inside. Another soldier fell victim to the defences here when one round tore through the wall behind him, the contents of his stomach exploding outwards in a bloody red mess less than a second later. Averting her eyes briefly, Katherine picked up her assault rifle and brought it into a ready to fire position. The drop-ship was a mere metre off of the ground now and this was low enough for everybody who had survived the descent to begin on their way out, racing outside and into the forest that surrounded the ramshackle settlement. The anti-air gun had ceased fire by now, the drop-ship being too low for it to be in the gun's field of fire.

Sergeant Faulkner was first out of the drop-ship and he raced ahead to the back of the nearest of the metal shacks, his back against the wall and gaze shifting to the rest of his squad as they flowed out of the drop-ship. The two that were dead were left in the passenger section so they could be picked up later, whenever that would be.

Katherine and the rest of the squad scattered, finding themselves just behind the first line of shacks and shanties that made up part of the township. The sound of weapons fire could be heard from somewhere nearby but this was only a minor detail to Katherine and the squad, all of whom were already on edge after the sudden deaths of two squad-mates.

Crouching in some bushy undergrowth, Katherine brought her assault rifle to bear and beaded down the sights. She had a view of the streets of the township and a straight line of fire to a courtyard just outside the main central structure, all this through an alley around the side of the nearest shack. Strangely there were no signs of life in the settlement, almost as if everybody had locked themselves indoors. Maybe that was the case, it was impossible to be sure.

The drop-ship behind them had begun to take-off, the pilot deciding to stick to a lower altitude as he directed the ship away from the settlement. Eventually the drop-ship was out of sight although there had been enough time for Katherine to manage a glance at it and see the many fist-sized holes that had been busted in its sides. She had been lucky that none of those high speed rounds had hit her; she probably would have been cut in half.

"Alright Tyler, what can you see?" It was the Sergeant, his voice breaking her train of thought and so she quickly diverted her eyes back to her view of the street.

"There's no one there," she replied, tearing her view off of her weapon's sights and back towards the Sergeant, "the street's empty…"  
"They must have all packed up and left," Ross interjected, smiling from where he was crouched. Faulkner shot him an annoyed glance before turning around and leaning around the shack, giving himself a view of the street beyond. It was indeed empty of people, this being quite unlike what the squad had been expecting.

"Shit, it is," Faulkner said, shaking his head disbelieving and then turning around. He took a quick look at the rest of his squad before pointing to Private Heywood. "Go out there and check it out."

Heywood nodded, heading past Katherine and the nearby shack. He ventured out onto the sidewalk, his rifle held at the ready while the Private's narrow eyes scanned his surroundings for any sign of movement. He took a few steps towards a nearby parked buggy and then turned his head, managing a glance back towards Katherine. They exchanged uncertain expressions, as if they both knew there was something wrong with this whole situation.

"What's out there, Private?" Faulkner called from his spot behind the shack, "anyone? Some civilians maybe?"  
The Private shook his head even though the Sergeant couldn't see him before he replied, "The whole street's empty!"

As soon as he had said that there was a sudden pinpoint of red light that appeared almost instantaneously, lacing the air at an angle and going straight into Private Heywood's chest. It dissipated within seconds and the Private managed an abrupt shout before he and his armour was vaporized, disappearing into a cloud of red energy which then fell to the ground. After that there was nothing left of the Private but a black smudge.

Incendiary rounds could do that someone. The shot had come from somewhere up ahead and up high, probably a sniper. Katherine, realizing she was probably exposed as well, rolled behind the shack as another red-beam lanced through the air where she had just been crouched, roasting a patch of grass as it did so.

"Holy shit! Heywood just got fried!" Decker shouted. He and the other squad members immediately went prone in the grass. "Where the hell did that shot come from?"

Faulkner suddenly looked nervous, leaning around the shack and taking in the view of the street. There was no sign of any sniper anywhere until another beam lanced his way, narrowly missing his face and forcing the Sergeant's head back into cover.

"We need to pinpoint this guy's location," Faulkner said but Katherine was already in the process of doing this, slowly edging her way along the side of the shack. She came to the sidewalk but kept behind cover, slowly peeking around the side and managing to catch a glimpse of the water tower up ahead. The sniper was up there on the ledge that wrapped around the tower, his sniper rifle raised and ready to fire at a moment's notice. From here Katherine could see that this "Earthen Knights" soldier was outfitted in some sort of brown and grey armour that matched the colours of the surrounding countryside. Sure, they had been told these guys would have good equipment she just hadn't been expecting any of them to be wearing heavy armour.

Retreating back into cover she made her way to where Faulkner and the others were waiting, telling them where the sniper was. This lone sniper seemed to be the only other human in view that was inside the settlement, quite the contrary to what they had originally been thinking. There would have to be more of these well-equipped bigots but if there were they weren't anywhere in sight.

"Can you take him out?" Faulkner asked after Katherine had told them where the sniper was, "you're trained in the use of sniper rifles, aren't you?"

Katherine nodded. She was trained she just hadn't practiced with one for a while although she was confident enough to believe she wouldn't miss.

"Good. Once he's down we'll move into the street," Faulkner said, turning his attention to the rest of the squad, "everybody has to stick to cover. He might not be the only one."

One of the other squad members threw her a sniper rifle which she took willingly, checking the weapon briefly to see if it was loaded and ready to fire. It was, so she began making her way along the side of the shack again before coming to the sidewalk. Leaning around the side she brought the sniper rifle up to her shoulder and peered through the scope with one eye, the other closed to focus her vision.

The sniper hadn't spotted her just yet but she knew it wouldn't be long before he did. Zooming in via the scope she brought the sights onto the sniper, preferring to aim for the head while she steadied her aim by holding her breath. Squeezing the trigger the rifle bucked strongly against her shoulder and her aim was thrown off target for a second. It was no matter though, the sniper had been hit square in the throat and had been enough for his armour's shields to fail and allow the shot through.

The sniper stumbled back as if taken by surprise before hitting the railing that went around the ledge on the water tower. His weight gradually went further towards the edge and within seconds the sniper had fallen off of the ledge, landing loudly on the roof of a nearby shack. The noise seemed enough to wake the dead in the silence of the settlement and Katherine was half-expecting all of the Earthen Knight soldiers to appear out of nowhere and start firing.

There was about twenty seconds of silence after the sniper had hit the roof, Katherine lowering the sniper rifle and passing it back to the squad member that had given it to her in the first place. Katherine and the rest of the squad, with Faulkner in the lead, begun to slowly file out onto the streets while sticking close to the shacks for cover. The silence that had fallen upon the settlement was suddenly broken when gunfire erupted from up ahead and several Earthen Knight soldiers in heavy armour appeared, spilling out of shacks and shanties with sudden ferocity.

The squad was taken by surprise, especially when the bullets started taking chunks out of the shanties behind them. Katherine dived behind a parked buggy and watched as one of the Privates was mowed down in a hail of bullets, his body twitching to and fro as they hit him from different angles. The Private looked to be in some sort of strange death dance until he finally fell, bleeding and with plenty of jagged holes torn into him.

Katherine put her rifle over the top of the buggy and began blind-firing, hoping to suppress the many Earthen Knight soldiers that had set up a defensive perimeter around the headquarters building. The noise of the gunfire from all around was practically deafening, Katherine forced to bring her arms back into cover when several shots pinged off the buggy's metal close to her arms.

"Suppress their positions!" The Sergeant shouted above the racket.

"They're suppressing _our _positions!" Decker replied. He raised his heavy support weapon and stepped out of cover, firing as he strafed the positions of the EK soldiers up ahead. Some fell while others went back into cover but there were still some that were shooting back, bullets sipping through the air as Decker went for cover behind a set of metal crates. The Sergeant, seeing the chance they had to push forward, turned to Katherine and Private Eileen who was crouched near Katherine.

"Go around the left flank," the Sergeant said, "we'll keep them occupied here. You should be able to get to their headquarters easier when the bulk of their soldiers are busy fighting us." He paused, ducking as a shot pinged off the metal of the buggy near his head. "Go, get moving!"

Katherine and Eileen exchanged glances, both of them quite aware that there was more chance of them getting shot than anybody else if they went along with the Sergeant's quickly formulated plan. However, orders were orders so the pair kept low and went off to the left, crossing the street while the rest of the squad kept the EK soldiers busy by exchanging weapons fire.

The pair started down a narrow and dingy alleyway they ran between the buildings on this side of the street. It winded in and around the many shacks, the two Alliance soldiers still able to hear the shouts and sounds of gunfire from somewhere behind them.

Soon enough the pair had come to a broken wire fence and from here they were right alongside the large headquarters building. The EK soldiers were still positioned behind cover outside the front of the building and were still preoccupied with the Sergeant and the rest of the squad to notice the two other Alliance soldiers that had found their way into a perfect flanking position.

Eileen was the first to say something, bringing her rifle to a ready position as she started for the jagged hole in the wire fence.

"We'll find a good spot so we can mow these morons down," Eileen said, crouching and beginning to squeeze through the hole, "they won't even know what hit them…"

Katherine had only just noticed the faint trace of light reflecting off something thin and extending the length of the hole while Eileen had been talking. Her mind recognized the threat but by the time she had transformed these thoughts into words it was too late. Eileen's leg pressed against the trip-wire and there was a faint _click_ in response. The wire fell from the explosive charge and set off its short fuse.

What happened next was something Katherine barely remembered. There was an earth-shattering boom and Katherine's vision filled up with dirt, fire and smoke. She was knocked onto her back, completely dazed and senseless as well as unaware that a large shard of bone was jutting out of the knee part of her left leg. Usually that kind of thing would be painful but before the pain could set in Katherine had fallen unconscious, just as a pair of soldiers clad in urban camouflage armour appeared in her vision. Both were looking down at her, their faces hidden by the visors of their helmets but obviously intrigued by the fact that one of the Alliance soldiers that had been attacking them was no in their possession. Katherine closed her eyes, unable to help but pass out…

* * *

  
**Note: **The rating of this story is subject to change to an M due to plenty of violence, bad language and other stuff in later chapters. Just to let you know, anyway.


	7. Meeting with Dieter

**Location: Main Settlement on Talerian…**

Katherine had concentrating heavily on her thoughts about her last official mission as an Alliance soldier in the 302nd Infantry Division that she didn't notice the man in the grey and yellow Alliance security guard's uniform come from around the warehouse up ahead.

Katherine had never liked the idea of getting captured which was why thinking about her last combat mission sort of got to her emotionally. She was annoyed at how stupid she and Eileen could have been since it was obvious the EK soldiers weren't going to leave a way around their flank completely undefended. Those defences had been in the form of a booby trap and the one that had blown Eileen to smithereens and left Katherine with a compound fracture in her left leg had been a simple explosive charged wired to a trip wire. Push the wire too far and it would break off of the explosive charge and set its fuse, the charge detonating a few seconds later.

Thanks to the ingenuity of the trap and the force of the explosion Katherine had ended up captured and bound inside the headquarters. Of course that had been the least of her worries since the pain in her leg had been intense enough for her to pass out on a few occasions. Ever since then she had had to have those damaged bones replaced with artificial ones, apparently much stronger and more durable than the real thing ever was. Of course, nothing artificial lasted forever so sooner or later she would have to get them checked up and replaced, if needed.

Looking up from her seat, she was sort of relieved when she saw the slightly bewildered security guard approaching her. She was surprised to see him dressed in the uniform of an Alliance security officer but somehow she doubted he was here to arrest her, otherwise he would have brought backup and plenty of it. He must have been working with Dieter, maybe he was just here to take the package and pay her? Maybe Dieter wasn't able to show up and so he had sent one of his friends to take the package? This would explain why Dieter was so late; maybe something important had come up.

The man in the security officer's uniform looked to be in his mid-thirties, brown haired and with a look that voiced some sort of business-like quality about him. However, as soon as he was at a conversational range Katherine immediately noticed that this whole business-like aura was just a put-on: the man's eyes betrayed his true feelings and those feelings were of absolute fear.

Katherine didn't say anything once the man had stopped in front of her and instead gestured towards the dented metal container at her feet, otherwise known as the "package". Whatever was in it was probably damn important if she was getting paid a quarter of a million credits for it.

The man looked down at the package; his expression changed to one which gave Katherine the hint that he had seen the package before. All of a sudden things were beginning to get a little strange, as if this man wasn't meant to be here.

The man looked back down at Katherine, who was still sitting on the bench and had begun to tap the fingers of her right hand on one thigh while she waited for the man to speak. He seemed hesitant as if he knew someone was watching him, pulling his strings from some hidden location. This immediately got Katherine thinking: maybe there was someone watching them and maybe Dieter had other plans for her?

She looked around, first to the nearby derelict warehouses while being sure there was no one in the windows. The insides of the warehouses were far too dark to give an effective view of the inside but there didn't seem to be anybody inside them from what Katherine could see. She shifted her gaze to the hills in the other direction but again there was nobody out there, the hills devoid of any living soul other than the vegetation that had managed to eke out a living there.

"You're probably wondering who I am," the man said, breaking the silence that had fallen across the courtyard. Katherine nodded, preferring to play along with whatever the man had to say. If this was some sort of trap then Katherine would want to be sure about it before she did anything, although her right hand was already closing in towards her holstered pistol.

The security officer noticed this and shook his head.

"Don't do that," he said, "I'm not here to kill you. I'm just here so…well…it's about Dieter…"

Katherine raised an eyebrow, suddenly unsure of what to think of this man. He seemed uncertain about himself as well, finding it difficult to formulate a sentence.

"What about Dieter? Who are you, anyway?" Katherine was beginning to have enough of all this: where was Dieter and where was her payment? She was beginning to think that she would be better off shooting this guy and waiting for Dieter to come.

The man seemed a little taken aback by Katherine's sudden and noticeable anger but he soon composed himself and began speaking again, although he was still finding it difficult to form a proper sentence.

"My name's Gregory and…I…well…I was sort of dragged into all of this…" The security officer paused for a moment, trying to think of what else he could say and how he was going to put it into a proper sentence. "Well…Dieter's making me work for him, you know? Thing is, I know what's in the package and I know what he plans on doing with it."

"Keep going," Katherine said, "I find myself…enthralled." She smiled although she couldn't help but think that whatever this Gregory guy had to say might end up changing her whole perception on this assignment. The way he was going on about Dieter's "plans" made it sound like the guy was planning on galactic domination or something.

Gregory shifted uneasily where he stood, trying to think of what he should say. "Dieter's going to be here in a few minutes, so I'll be quick about it," he said, frowning, "I've been hearing some things…about Dieter…about what's in that container…I…"

"You what?"

"I don't think you should let Dieter get the package," Gregory said bluntly, "you may be thinking why but you'd be better off if you just didn't give it to him. This whole business about the container goes beyond a mere vested interest…"

Katherine was beginning to get a bit confused. She remained sitting, trying to digest what Gregory was saying but she was finding it a bit hard to follow, especially when he mentioned something about "this whole business". What "whole business" was he talking about? As far as Katherine knew she and her getting the package had been all the business that had occurred with it? She realized that such a thought would be being naïve, there was obviously more going on here than she had originally suspected. Well, that would be the case if this Gregory guy was telling the truth.

"You can't let Dieter get the package," Gregory continued, "the man's crazy. He's planning something, something big and what's in that crate is in the middle of it all. You were only involved because he hired you to do the dirty work. Chances are he's going to end up shooting you…"

Both Katherine and Gregory felt their blood run cold when a shout sounded from behind, down at the other end of the courtyard. It was a voice they were both familiar with and one that Gregory didn't particularly like, having come to the conclusion that Dieter Sturlmann was a lunatic with too much power.

"Gregory! You're not filling Miss Tyler's head with doubt are you?" Dieter shouted from behind as he, dressed in a dark trench-coat to combat the cold Talerian weather, stepped towards the pair. He was flanked on both sides by two of the dark armour-clad soldiers who marched in unison and wore helmets with large breathing apparatuses and thick goggles. There was no visible skin on the soldiers; all of it was hidden underneath layers of armour. Their goggles glowed an eerie bright green, as if lit from within but Katherine knew that would have to be impossible.

The last time Katherine had met Dieter had been when she had taken the job a couple of weeks ago, having been sent a message from him to come meet him in a bar here on Talerian. Apparently he needed a low-profile mercenary to acquire the package from an Alliance freighter that would be arriving here in Deckar's Stand and then meet him here in this courtyard. It had been a simple enough assignment and a well-paid one at that, seeing as it was such an easy yet trivial assignment.

Dieter had seemed nice enough, always using well constructed sentences and very little slang terms. He had a charming quality about him, even if his Austrian accent made it hard for someone to take him completely seriously. He had even been able to show Katherine the money she would receive if she completed the assignment, all stowed away on a credit card which could then be transferred straight into her account.

Dieter, in his dark trench-coat and even wearing a matching pair of gloves, regarded Katherine with some noticeable attraction before turning his attention to Gregory and frowning. He seemed annoyed at the man's presence, a simple frown towards Gregory quickly shutting the security officer up.

"My dear old friend Gregory, I thought I told you not to interfere with this meeting?" Dieter asked, although he obviously wasn't expecting an answer. Rather, his hand went for the pistol holstered at his waist and within seconds it was out. The shot that followed echoed throughout the vast, silent expanse of the courtyard and nearby plains. Dieter didn't even bat an eyelid as he put the pistol away, the Austrian turning his attention to a stunned Katherine who was still looking at Gregory's corpse which was lying sprawled on the ground nearby.

"I never really liked him anyway," Dieter said simply, fiddling with his coat's collar briefly, "besides, he was interfering. After all, the last thing I need is some idiot security guard to start filling your head full of lies, Miss Tyler."

Katherine stood up, turning towards Dieter and now completely uncertain on whether this assignment had been legit all along. By "legit" she meant that whether Dieter was going to pay her or simply shoot her for the package, the latter always being the more troublesome and often denying her a considerable amount of money.

"Don't worry, Miss Tyler, I'll be paying you," Dieter said, "Why wouldn't I? You got me the item I told you to acquire so obviously I have the perfect reason to pay you, don't I?"

Katherine nodded slowly, attempting to forget about all the things the now deceased Gregory had told her. It was hard since some of it had made sense and some of it had been enough to place doubts in her mind about her nice Dieter Sturlmann actually was.

"Now, all you need to do is hand over the container and I can give you your payment," Dieter said, smiling a sort of sniding smile as if he was only putting it on, "I'm sure you would like your payment after the work you did to get a hold of the item in question, wouldn't you?"

Katherine nodded. Of course she wanted her payment; it was the only thing she cared about at the moment. She could forget about what Gregory said since it didn't matter what Dieter might be planning to do with the package. The business of her employers wasn't hers to know or to give a stuff about. She was a mercenary and mercenaries didn't need to take interest in what their employers did, all a mercenary needed to do was to get paid after a successful job.

Katherine grabbed the handle on the container and lifted it, deciding to show Dieter the keypad lock that had so far prevented her from taking a look inside. Dieter seemed a little surprised by its presence but otherwise didn't seem too concerned; rather he took the package from Katherine and held its side up to his face so he could read the alphanumerical code on its side.

"BMH-0018," he said, reading the letters and numbers aloud before lowering the container, "This is definitely the correct one. The lock shouldn't be too hard to crack but will take time." He looked back towards Katherine, raising an eyebrow.

"You didn't see the keycard needed for the lock, did you?" Dieter asked.

Katherine shook her head. As far as she could remember she had not seen any sort of keycard for the lock on the container but had always figured the one needed had been on the freighter somewhere. It didn't matter now though, what's done is done.

"Oh well," Dieter said, "I suppose you want your payment now, don't you?"

Katherine nodded. Of course she wanted her damn payment, why else was she waiting around here for? Dieter had begun to reach into a pocket inside his coat, presumably for the credit card before pausing and removing his hand. That hand was empty, as if he had changed his mind.

"Katherine, my dear, I am afraid that I wasn't intent on paying you," Dieter said, smiling a sort of "what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it?" smile. It was the kind of smile that pissed Katherine off considerably so by the time Dieter had finished his sentence Katherine's hand had gone down to her pistol holster and had drawn the weapon from it, pointing it squarely at Dieter's chest. He was unfazed, as if he had been expecting it.

"You have to understand Katherine that I am in control of a large corporation that requires all the money it can get. Why would I waste funds on paying a despicable mercenary like you? Besides, I can't have you going off and telling people about what Dieter Sturlmann now has in his possession, can I?"

As if on cue the four soldiers flanking Dieter raised their rifles, pointing them straight at Katherine.

"This is where we part, my dear Miss Tyler," Dieter said. Katherine suddenly realized she was in a tight spot, knowing full well that if she fired she would be cut down within seconds. She figured she ought to try reasoning with Dieter, although that would be hard to do since he obviously had no intention of paying her. It was still worth the try if it meant she mightn't get shot.

"Why would you double-cross me?" Katherine asked, "There isn't any point. I got you your package so all you have to do is turn around and leave. I can live without your money although I won't live if you shoot me."

Dieter nodded, as if agreeing. He had listened to the point Katherine made, about her leaving and the two sides forgetting about the whole thing. However, Dieter gave another annoying smile and shook his head.

"You don't understand, my dear Katherine," Dieter said in a slightly reassuring manner, "you know who I am. You also know about the package. Therefore, you know too much."

He was about to turn around and order the soldiers flanking him to fire but Katherine stopped him.

"Hang on a second," she said, sounding a little bemused, "I know jack shit about you and what's in that package. Besides, why would I tell anybody about it?"

Dieter turned back around to face her and shook his head again, reaching out and cheerfully patting her on one shoulder for a few seconds.

"Katherine, my dear, you obviously don't know much about my business and what comes with it. You see, I have rivals and those rivals probably know who you are and that you're in possession of the package. In that case, they may have paid you more to double-cross me. How do I know if they're not lying in wait somewhere, waiting for your signal?"

Katherine just realized how damn paranoid Dieter was. What he was saying was nonsense, the ramblings of a man who had more enemies than was good for him. No wonder those soldiers followed him around everywhere, brandishing assault rifles whenever someone approached him even if they were just approaching him to say hello.

"That's insane," Katherine said, unable to quite comprehend Dieter's sheer paranoia.

Dieter chuckled at this little remark.

"Still, if that isn't the case you still know enough information my rivals could use against me," Dieter said, "you know I'm here on Talerian, don't you? That's enough for anybody with half a brain to find out my exact location. Really Katherine, I thought you knew more than that."

Katherine was beginning to get annoyed at Dieter's level of sheer paranoia and realized that reasoning with him was getting towards being a complete failure. You couldn't reason with a paranoid and slightly mentally unstable man, they would be too far into their beliefs to accept any sort of reasoning. Katherine wasn't about to accept her fate, not at all. Rather, she would take Dieter with her if worse came to worse.

"Goodbye Katherine," Dieter said, beginning to turn around. The four soldiers with him raised their weapons, all the barrels pointing towards Katherine. She suddenly felt very, very lonely. Still, she kept her pistol raised and pointed at Dieter.

"I'll kill you first," she said, although she doubted the chances of that happening, "you take me down and my finger will still pull the trigger."

Dieter turned back around and laughed, a loud and somewhat crazy sounding laugh that echoed throughout the expanse of the courtyard.

"Try it," he said.

That was when a single gunshot echoed throughout the courtyard, except it wasn't from Katherine's pistol or any of the weapons the armour-clad soldiers were wielding. Rather, it had come from one of the upper storey windows on the warehouse to Katherine's left. Immediately Dieter's gaze had shifted in the warehouse's direction and so had those of his soldiers. Katherine seized her chance and fired, hoping to get Dieter when he was off guard.

Quite surprisingly Dieter simply turned around and looked down at the scorched hole that had been torn into the chest of his dark trench-coat. Rather than keel over and die Dieter simply looked towards Katherine and laughed, the mercenary firing again. The shot blew another hole into Dieter's coat but the man still didn't die, or bleed for that matter. Shredder rounds often made someone bleed but they weren't doing anything to Dieter.

Dieter, in response, simply raised his pistol and fired at Katherine from point blank range. This wouldn't have been the first time Katherine had been shot but this was the first time it had been somewhere "important". The bullet from Dieter's gun hit her in the top left of her chest and the force was enough to make Katherine stumble backwards slightly.

She felt the grip she had on her pistol loosen, the weapon clanking on the pavement once it had fallen. She took a breath but was surprised when she felt the air exit a new hole, one that had been blown into her chest. Suddenly feeling exhausted she stumbled backwards, forcefully sitting back down on the bench behind her.

The armour-clad soldiers, meanwhile, had started firing into the window of one of the warehouses. They were apparently suppressing an interloper on this meeting but Katherine had no idea who or why they would be here, those were the least of her worries. Instead, she was sitting against the back of the bench and had put one hand to the newly created hole in her chest.

Dieter simply looked down at her, grinning.

"Titanium augmented armour vest," Dieter said, tapping at his chest. It sounded hard, as if there was something more solid than flesh underneath. That was indeed the case.

"You think I wouldn't come prepared?" He added, bending over and picking up the package with his left hand via its handle. He patted Katherine on one shoulder again before turning around and making a run through the courtyard. As he did so, Katherine caught a glimpse of several more of the armour-clad soldiers racing from around the corner of the warehouse. Some were going inside, intent on finding this interloper.

The hand Katherine had put to the hole in her chest had come back sticky with her own blood. Unable to gather the energy to move she simply leaned as far back as she could and let her sudden exhaustion take hold completely. Once again she had been severely wounded and to go with this achievement she simply passed out.

* * *

Kynarus Vakarian, outfitted in his dark blue-black armour and wielding a sniper rifle had been watching the meeting take place from his vantage point from a top floor window of one of the warehouses by the courtyard. He had his sniper set up on a bipod on the window, peering through the scope down towards the meeting in the courtyard below while keeping his eyes and ears open just in case anybody tried to sneak up on him. One thing he didn't need was to be discovered since that would jeopardize this whole assignment.

He had arrived on Talerian a few days before, having set off immediately from the Citadel as soon as he had accepted the assignment. However, there were still plenty of things that had been bugging him about the whole thing, including Colonel Sommers.

The Colonel, in Kynarus' view, definitely wasn't Alliance. They were probably part of a private organization that had links to the human Alliance but the Colonel himself definitely wasn't Alliance. There was no way in hell that some guy who claimed to be a Colonel but didn't have the proper proof and uniform was actually a Colonel. Kynarus had been thinking about this ever since he had met Colonel Sommers in Chora's Den and he had slowly been figuring out all the inconsistencies he had noticed about the assignment.

Once more he couldn't help but think about what was inside the package he was after and whether he should pen it when he got hold of it. The Colonel had warned him against doing it but he was beginning to think that this was just so Kynarus would never find out the Colonel's true purpose. Especially since Kynarus knew quite plainly that the Colonel had lied to him when he had said he didn't know what was inside. He most certainly knew, he just wasn't telling the truth which gave Kynarus more reason to find out himself.

Kynarus had been only slightly surprised to find that he was the only turian in Deckar's Stand: he was yet to encounter anyone else of his species and had been forced to put up with the odd looks he had been receiving from civilians out in the streets, those civilians having been all human. He was beginning t wonder why the Colonel had chosen him since Kynarus was getting enough attention as it was just from the civilian population. How would he be able to complete the assignment in a discreet fashion if civilians were suspicious of him?

Regardless of what the civilians thought Kynarus had still continued with the assignment. At the end of it a large paycheck awaited him and he was quite intent on receiving it by satisfying the needed requirements of this assignment. That meant getting hold of the package and killing the witnesses although he was suddenly finding that very hard to do.

To him, Deckar's Stand was just another slummy little human settlement on some backwater world too far from the nearest form of galactic civilization for anyone else to care about. It seemed that humans had been making a habit of forming colonies on out of the way worlds as if that got them farther away from the other races and any sort of trouble they might bring. He knew well enough that many humans resented the turian species and in return plenty of turians resented humans. Kynarus though, he couldn't care less as long as they didn't interfere with his work. He had killed plenty of humans in the past during his mercenary career but he had also killed plenty of other non-humans as well. It just came with the territory, the killing and the getting shot at in return. He had enjoyed it at first but after a few years as a mercenary it just got sort of dull, a mere second-nature to him. It was strange, really: all the thrill of the job had gone but he still did it. For one thing, he needed the money and for another he had a sudden craving for some sort of stimulant. Anything would do, just so long as it helped him concentrate.

Reaching into a compartment on his armour he found a small plastic tub of some unmarked pills. They would do for now, he just had no idea what they were and what they did seeing as they had been inside this armour suit for quite some time. Chewing down on some of the tablets he threw the empty tub over his shoulder, hearing it clack hollowly on the floor somewhere behind him.

Shifting his concentration back on the scene below, he watched as the lone and young human female sat on one of the benches in the courtyard. Soon enough she was approached by someone in an Alliance uniform, some sort of security officer by the look of it. What he was doing here was beyond Kynarus but he still kept watch, training his sights on the security officer and then the human female. That was when he was able to get a good look at her and it was also when he felt something, something he hadn't felt ever since he had met Lalias seven years ago. Lalias had died in his arms but not before they had engaged in a romantic relationship since that time had been one of the only times in Kynarus' life that he had thought he had felt the perfect woman. Now here he was, watching some human he didn't even know and unable to help but hesitate, his finger falling from his sniper rifle's trigger.

She looked to be young, maybe in her mid to late twenties. She had dark brown hair, drawn back into a neat and short ponytail. Her complexion was light but she wasn't too pale. Rather, she seemed to have just the right skin tone for someone of her species. Kynarus' mind flickered back to his relationship with the young female turian Lalias and then back to his thoughts about this human and his surprise that he couldn't bring himself to open fire. He had been told to kill all witnesses and so far that included this human and the security officer she was talking with.

Feelings like this were probably unfounded. How was he to know that the human would only dismiss him, voicing her disinterest in him if they actually met? He was a turian after all and most humans disliked turians. Somehow he couldn't see any sort of friendship striking up with this human, especially since he was meant to have killed her already.

He had been about to draw a bead on one of the targets, preferably the security officer first before he had heard the other voice. This voice came from somewhere off to the left and removing his gaze from his sniper rifle's scope, Kynarus took a look at the new group of arrivals at the meeting. Surprisingly the one that was talking seemed to be dressed in some sort of expensive dark coat, his sides flanked by a few armour-clad soldiers. These soldiers struck Kynarus as strange, their faces being completely hidden behind helmets and breathing apparatuses. Such devices weren't necessary, especially since you could breathe the air here without trouble. Still, Kynarus watched as the group approached the human female and the security officer. Things were now getting interesting and would continue to do so, it seemed.

Finding out about this meeting had been easy enough. It turned out that some of Colonel Sommers' more covert agents were posted in Deckar's Stand and had been keeping tabs on the location of the package in preparation for Kynarus' attempt to get hold of it. One of these agents had tipped him off about a meeting taking place between some human mercenary and the people that had hired the merc to get the package for them. With this information Kynarus had set up his own little observation post and had spent the last hour here, waiting for the meeting to begin and having to put up with the lateness of the main group, which had just arrived.

Kynarus couldn't really understand why Colonel Sommers simply couldn't get the package himself. Sure, the Colonel had mentioned about needing to keep attention away from himself but if the Colonel was with the Alliance, as he said he was, there was nothing stopping him from sending a strike team here and getting the package. Maybe the Colonel was more serious about keeping attention away from him and his forces than Kynarus had first thought. The whole thing that the Colonel had mentioned about keeping the existence of this package a secret from the Council seemed to have plenty of weight behind it, it was just Kynarus had no idea what was inside it.

Something clicked in the turian's brain, something which led him to remember an important detail that had come up in the meeting he had had with Colonel Sommers in Chora's Den, back on the Citadel. It had been the holograph of the man believed to be after the package and responsible for leading an attack on the very facility that had once housed it.

It was Dieter Sturlmann, the blonde-haired human with the apparently unstable mind. He was right down in the courtyard, dressed in a dark trench-coat and wearing a dark hat, as well as black gloves to go with it. He looked rather authoritative in a getup like that and he seemed to be having a serious conversation with the human mercenary and the security officer. Kynarus watched through his sniper scope, training the crosshairs onto Dieter and keeping them there. If things got out of hand Dieter would be the first one to go since with him out of the way, Colonel Sommers may very well give Kynarus a little bonus reward. More money would be something Kynarus would genuinely like.

The turian wasn't expecting the gunshot that followed, watching as Dieter removed his pistol from his waist holster in one fluid, incredibly quick motion and fired. The security guard went down and Dieter's pistol was back in its holster, the human merely smiling towards the human woman who looked a little perturbed. Kynarus resisted the urge to shoot and continued watching the meeting, unable to fathom why the security guard had been shot. Maybe he was an unwanted visitor or maybe this Dieter Sturlmann guy was crazy enough to shoot people for the fun of it. Even from this distance and having never met him before Kynarus could tell there was something off about the human. He seemed to be emitting an aura of menace and insanity although he wasn't showing it.

There was more talking between Dieter and the human woman, the blonde-haired man picking up the package via its handle and weighing it. Something about the way he was moving it told Kynarus that it was light, very light by the look of it. Whatever was inside better be worth all the trouble since Kynarus would have to start shooting up the place if he wanted to get it, taking Dieter down first.

On the contrary Kynarus knew he couldn't bring himself to kill the human woman. He trained the scope on her just so he could get a closer look, taking in her form from head to toe and unable to help but think of Lalias. She reminded him of her somehow, maybe it was her body shape or maybe it was just the sort of mood she was giving up. She reminded him of the no-nonsense yet smart-alecky personality that had been one highlight of the female turian Lalias, the very one that Kynarus had fallen in love with several years ago. He knew he wouldn't be able to kill this human but he would need to get the package somehow although he had no idea how. He would have to figure something out soon since the way the conversation was going it looked like Dieter wasn't too keen on paying the human female for her work on getting the package.

The raised voice of the blonde-haired human in the dark coat and the matching hat, trousers and gloves could be heard throughout the relative quietness of the courtyard. The place itself was perfect for an illegal meeting such as this since it was well away from the prying eyes of the citizens of Deckar's Stand. Those people probably had no idea about what sort of things were happening right under their noses and in their modest settlement.

Kynarus had been concentrating on the people down in the courtyard for the last five minutes, unable to quite make out what it was they were saying but still interested in what the outcome of this conversation would be. By now the turian could feel the effects of the stimulant capsules he had taken minutes ago kick in, feeling his heart-rate increase and his fingers begin to twitch. He suddenly wanted something to happen, anything that would give him the excuse he needed to expend all this energy he suddenly felt he had.

_Just start shooting already_, he told himself, _damn it…NOW!  
_He wasn't prepared for the surprisingly strong blow that he received on the back of his head. It felt like the butt of a rifle, brought down on him with surprising force. It wasn't quite enough to knock him unconscious but it was enough to send him onto the floor, dazed and unable t quite figure out what had just happened.

Rolling onto his back and looking up he could see the tall armour-clad figure standing over him, the barrel of the fully armoured soldier's rifle pointed straight into his face. Kynarus, moaning because of his aching head and thrown-off senses, managed a look into the eerily green and glowing goggles on the breathing mask the soldier was wearing. This seemingly faceless enemy, staring right down at him and showing next to no signs of actual emotion was enough to send a chill down Kynarus' spine. He didn't like the look of the situation he was in, not one bit.

"Why are you here?" The soldier spoke with a voice that was both deep and electronic sounding, not at all human or natural in origin. Kynarus immediately realized he wasn't looking at a human in a heavy armour suit but some sort of machine…

_That's crazy_, he thought while trying to reassure himself that this armour-clad soldier was human, _his voice is just muffled by the breathing mask_. _Then again, why the hell would anyone wear a breathing mask when the air's safe to breathe?_

"I was just keeping an eye on…on…" Kynarus suddenly found it hard to form a proper sentence. Either it was the drugs he had just taken or the fact he had a gun pointed at his head. "I was just keeping an eye on the woman out there…"

The soldier regarded him briefly with its emotionless face before glancing towards the sniper rifle which lay rested on the window sill.

"Stand up," the soldier said, taking a step backwards and thus giving Kynarus enough room to get up, "put your hands up high where I can see them."

Kynarus obeyed the soldier's orders; the turian rising onto his feet and holding his hands up above his shoulders so the soldier could see that they were empty. The turian's heart was still beating erratically and he felt like simply lashing out recklessly. Chances were high that he would get shot but for some reason he didn't care too much. This was most certainly the drugs that were affecting his thinking and Kynarus realized that maybe taking them hadn't been such a good idea.

"Guess what," Kynarus said confidently as the soldier raised his rifle. The soldier didn't show any signs of interest so Kynarus spoke again, this time louder.

"Guess what tough guy," Kynarus said, breathing rapidly because his body was telling him to. The soldier regarded him with a trace of uncertainty, although it was hard to tell when no part of his actual face was visible.

"I'm going to kill you," Kynarus said a second later, the soldier looking towards him with some doubt, "in about the next few seconds."

The soldier seemed to loosen up a little when he saw that the turian standing in front of him was completely off his rocker. Kynarus noticed the slight relaxation of the soldier's muscles and the slight movement of the soldier's assault rifle as it lowered but still remained pointless at Kynarus. This was all the chance the turian needed, his quick reflexes allowing him to bring his arms down so his hands could grab hold of the soldier's weapon.

The soldier immediately realized what was happening and started struggling, attempting to bring the rifle back to bear on the turian but unable to, Kynarus forcing all his energy into moving the soldier's weapon. He managed to move it so it was pointing up and towards the ceiling while the soldier still held it, the soldier trying his best to force it back down again. However, Kynarus prevailed when he managed to inch the rifle's barrel in the soldier's direction a few inches so that it was pointing at the top of the soldier's face. Reaching for the rifle's trigger with one hand he managed to pull it, feeling the rifle buckle back from the force of the shot. The face of the soldier exploded outward with sparks, fragments of metal and some blood which sprayed all over Kynarus' face.

Letting go of the soldier's rifle and watching as the armour-clad soldier fell, Kynarus was able to manage a look at the mess that had become the soldier's fate. That was when he realized just what the soldier had been: wires and circuitry was all that was behind the breathing mask, mingled with what looked to be pale synthetic human flesh and a thick metal that seemed to be the bone. Kynarus remained transfixed on the sight of this synthetic humanoid, unable to quite figure out just what he was looking at.

That was when he heard the gunshot from outside, forcing his attention back to the window and the sniper rifle that was waiting for his there. Picking it up he managed a look down at the scene below, able to see that the racket he had created up here had gotten the attention of the few soldiers down in the courtyard. Dieter, meanwhile, was sprinting away with the package's handle gripped tightly in one hand. Slumped on the bench below was the human woman, a red splotch on her chest indicating that she had been shot.

Kynarus suddenly felt a sudden rage that he hadn't felt for a long time. He raised the sniper rifle and managed a look through the scope, bringing the weapon's crosshairs upon one of the soldiers and squeezing the trigger. That soldier fell but the other three immediately opened fire with their weapons, this being enough to force Kynarus to duck down from the window as the assault rifle rounds tore through the plaster and rotting wood of the ageing structure.

Dieter, it seemed, was getting away. Kynarus moved over to the nearest glassless window and leaned over the top, raising his rifle and hoping to catch sight of the fleeing Dieter Sturlmann. He did, but only as the human disappeared around the corner of the building and probably to a waiting vehicle.

Kynarus realized he had botched things badly although Dieter's presence had changed things a bit. The human had had no intention of paying the female mercenary for her troubles and so it seemed that shooting had been inevitable. It just so happened that Dieter hadn't been expecting a turian to be watching the whole thing unfold and maybe, just maybe, Kynarus might have been able to shoot Dieter if it hadn't been for that soldier.

There was more here than what Kynarus had been told since for one thing synthetic humanoids had been something that no one had mentioned to Kynarus. The turian had only ever heard rumours about how some human corporations had been hard at work on developing artificial intelligences sophisticated enough to be put into a human-shaped "machine" that showed all traces of emotion and next to no signs of them being different than other humans. It only seemed that these armour-clad soldiers were less sophisticated than what Kynarus had heard rumours about, being quite noticeably non-human and built for strength. They were soldier drones no doubt and were probably being mass-produced by the corporation that Dieter was in charge of: the Zahni Corporation which was apparently based on Earth in the South America region. At least Colonel Sommers had told him about the Corporation, just not about their synthetic humanoids.

Kynarus, from his vantage point, brought his sniper rifle to bear on another one of the soldiers and fired. The soldier fell just as several more came running from inside the other abandoned warehouse, their weapons opening fire on his position simultaneously.

Crouching down from the window once again Kynarus slung his sniper rifle back around his shoulder and removed the two pistols he had holstered at either side of his waist. They were both Stinger models and were both very reliable low-recoil weapons which were why he had decided to select them as his backup armaments if things got out of hand.

He could hear the loud and heavy footfalls of soldiers racing up the creaky stairs inside the warehouse, the stairwell being through the open double doorway at the end of the long room on this level. Kynarus stood behind one of the pillars in this room, his pistols held at the ready, one in each hand like the hero of some old action video. Those humans sure knew how to make entertaining movies, there was no doubt about that.

The first of the soldiers went through the doorway and was soon followed by another three which tagged close behind. Their rifles were raised as they scanned the room ahead of them for any trace of the culprit turian. Kynarus figured that if these soldiers were artificial intelligence drones then maybe they might have more than just normal eyes. For all he knew they had X-ray vision and thus would have no trouble finding him hiding behind the pillar.

Thankfully they didn't seem to have that ability since they didn't open fire as they entered the room. Rather, the three of them spread out to cover different sections of the room in order to find the turian easier. Kynarus stayed behind the pillar, both pistols gripped tightly in his hands while his drug-fuelled mind was telling him to start shooting already.

One of the soldiers was walking in his general direction and would probably be past the pillar in a few seconds. Taking a deep breath and attempting to remove all the doubts that were set in his mind, Kynarus stepped from around the pillar and raised both pistols. Opening fire and not pausing at all to stop shooting, the soldier in front of him stumbled back from the force of the fire as the soldier's shields failed. The armour deflected some of the shots but most went through, sparks flying as the soldier was knocked backwards a few feet and landed on the floor with a loud _thud!_

As soon as Kynarus was finished the other two soldiers had turned their attention straight to him. He managed a look towards the doorway as another pair of the soldiers came charging through, assault rifles firing away. Chunks of wood and plaster began flying as bullets collided with the floors and walls, Kynarus diving to one side to avoid the main extent of the incoming volleys. His shields took a few hits but before the soldiers could shift their field of fire Kynarus had hit the floor, sliding a few metres as he did so and firing away.

Both soldiers fell and the remaining two started shooting. Kynarus stopped sliding behind an old crate and stood up, bringing both his pistols to bear and pulling the triggers as fast as he could, a swathe of semi-automatic fire lacing the air of the room. One of the soldiers fell while the other went behind one of the pillars, holding his assault rifle around the side and blind-firing in the turian's general direction.

Kynarus ducked behind the crate as the fire peppered the air where he had just been standing. He leaned around the side and opened fire, one of his pistols jamming just as he did so. The other was still working though, the soldier twitching about as the bullets connected with him and quite literally dropped him to the floor. Finally it seemed Kynarus might get a break from all this shooting until he heard another few sets of heavy footfalls coming up the stairwell ahead.

"What _now?!!_" He exclaimed, slamming the jammed pistol against the wall to his left angrily. He should have known better to use non-maintained weapons that hadn't been fired for months since now one of them had jammed at one of the most inopportune of times.

Throwing it over his shoulder he raised the single working pistol which was in his right hand and began running for the nearest pillar, deciding to slowly work his way further up the room. As he did so a pair of newly arrived armour-clad soldiers opened fire from the doorway, Kynarus diving through the air in the general direction of the space behind the pillar. He brought his pistol up as he was travelling through the air, pulling the trigger and firing a volley of shots that took one of the soldiers down. The other soldier took cover around the other side of the doorway, leaning around and returning fire.

Kynarus stood back up and stayed behind the pillar, the soldier's rifle fire tearing away chunks from the front of the pillar. Puffs of dust flew forwards as the shots connected, the cement of the pillar disintegrating as big chunks were blown out of it. The dust was only beginning to settle when Kynarus leaned around the side and took aim, firing at the soldier's exposed arm as the rest of him went back into cover. The shot caused the soldier to stumble, exposing him some more so Kynarus seized his chance and kept firing, bringing the soldier down.

Lowering his pistol and stepping through the clouds of dust that had begun hanging around the room from all the mess that had been caused, Kynarus walked through the doorway and continued down the stairs. His heart was still thumping wildly in his chest, the adrenaline and stimulants surging through him like some sort of volatile chemical concoction. He was close to exploding in an unpredictable fashion, he even knew that himself. Thing was, he didn't particularly care.

Keeping alert, Kynarus stepped out into the entrance lobby of the warehouse and office complex and kept his pistol raised just in case there were still more of those soldiers. There didn't seem to be anymore so he eased up a little as he stepped outside, feeling the cool breeze brush against him and chill him slightly. Putting his weapon back into its holster he managed a look around the dilapidated courtyard, taking a look around the corner where he had seen Dieter escape to. That human had the package with him and if Kynarus didn't get it he would never get paid. Damn, he needed that money.

Around the corner and by the side of the warehouse and office complex building was a grey open-top Jeep. It was typical of human design, fitted with rugged all-terrain wheels and a formidable suspension. However, what got Kynarus interested in this Jeep was the fact that Dieter was hurriedly loading the package into the back of the vehicle.

Here was his chance to get Dieter Sturlmann and the item he was after. Kynarus could bag the crazy now and walk out of here with the package, thus leading to a job well done. The turian was no longer in the mood for anymore complications seeing as he had just shot his way through close to a dozen synthetic humanoid soldiers. This would be something he would ask Colonel Sommers about when he met him next, after all of this was over.

"Hey, Dieter!" Kynarus shouted, raising his pistol. Dieter Sturlmann turned around just as he closed the back cover of the vehicle, looking unperturbed but otherwise a little flustered. Dieter took in Kynarus for a moment, trying to figure out who he was as the turian started approaching.

"You must be the interloper," Dieter said, his voice tinged with a strong sounding accent. Kynarus wasn't familiar with human sub-groups and so had no clue as to why this human had the accent but right now that was the least of his concerns. Stopping about ten metres from Dieter, Kynarus kept his pistol raised and eyes trained on the human.

"I'm a little annoyed," Kynarus said with a grin, "I just had to kill a bunch of your idiot soldiers and I almost got shot in the process. I really don't like getting shot…"  
Dieter merely smiled in returned, shrugging innocently.

"Don't blame me, lizard-face," Dieter said, "I'm just a businessman. A businessman who doesn't like turians very much…"

With amazing speed the human had removed his pistol, an ancient looking weapon with a laser sight attached. It looked unwieldy but still Dieter moved with amazing speed, bringing the twentieth century pistol up and firing within seconds. There was a jolt of pain in Kynarus' right hand and the weapon flew from his grip; for a moment he thought he had been shot but looking at his hand he realized that Dieter had shot the weapon instead. With shooting skills like that, Kynarus was safely able to assume that Dieter was much more than a businessman.

Dieter kept the pistol raised, the red laser sight creating an only slightly quivering dot on Kynarus' chest, right where his heart was beating wildly inside him. The human seemed amused by what had just happened but didn't fire again; rather he started talking while Kynarus stood absolutely still. Any sudden movements and Dieter might fire which was something Kynarus didn't particularly want to happen.

"That woman back there, the mercenary," Dieter said, nodding in the direction of the courtyard, "she might be still alive. The only chance she has of survival is you, turian. Maybe you should turn around and go get her?"

Kynarus felt a pang of guilt for not having gone straight to the human woman. Here he was instead, wasting his time with a lunatic with crack-shooting skills and a bulky old pistol. However, he knew that if he left Dieter would escape and the package would disappear which would in turn deny Kynarus a large paycheck.

"Go on turian, I can see you want to," Dieter said, gesturing with his pistol to one side as if telling a pet animal where to go, "whoever you are, you've lost. I've got what I wanted and you are utterly defenceless. That's probably why I haven't shot you yet. You see, I don't like killing unarmed opponents. It's unsporting."

Dieter smiled innocently and Kynarus couldn't help but feel enraged. Here he was, facing off with the very rival of his current employer and yet he wasn't able to do anything about it.

Very slowly Kynarus turned around and started walking back to the courtyard, able to hear Dieter call out to him in a gloating manner from behind.

"That's it, dear boy, keep going," Dieter said, his voice becoming fainter the further Kynarus went. By the time the turian had reached the slumped and motionless human woman, Dieter's voice had gone. Turning around, Kynarus could see that Dieter was climbing into the Jeep and preparing to make a getaway. That's when Kynarus had a sudden brainwave, one that he should have thought of before.

Taking his sniper rifle off of his back and bringing it into a firing position, he began looking through the scope at the rear of the vehicle. Through the scope he could see the vehicle quite closely and could easily make out the serial number on the back of the vehicle. Kynarus had a thought about shooting and hoping to get Dieter but he realized it would be probably no good: a man like Dieter wouldn't drive an unarmoured vehicle. The serial number was something that Kynarus easily memorized, allowing him to put away his sniper rifle and turn back to the slumped human woman with the bloody red hole blown in her chest.

The sound of Dieter's Keep screeching away lasted only briefly, by the time the Jeep had gotten to a reasonable speed it was already gone. Along with it the package and Dieter Sturlmann had also gone although Kynarus wasn't about to leave it at that. No, he would make sure he found Dieter and got the package (as well as whatever was inside it). It would probably be difficult finding him but Kynarus vowed he would, no matter how long it took.

Shifting his attention to the female mercenary he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that he hadn't been able to stop her from getting shot. Bending over to get a closer look he couldn't help but feel some sort of attraction. Up close she was even more beautiful but Kynarus knew these were absurd thoughts, even considering love with someone he had just met. They were two entirely different species and that sort of thing wasn't very common…

He was surprised when the human woman shifted where she sat, coughing and spluttering which resulted in a fine spray of blood and spittle flying from her mouth. Kynarus put a hand to her face, turning her head so she was looking towards him. She didn't seem to notice him, her eyes were barely open and they were glazed over but still Kynarus spoke.

"Take it easy," he said in as soothing a voice as he could manage, "I'll find someone who can fix you up. Just stay alive and things will be fine…"

The woman only eyed him with a hint of suspicion but that was short-lived since she passed out again, probably falling into a dream much better than what reality was treating her to. Kynarus could relate well, reality having treated him badly lately. First his cravings for drugs and alcohol followed by what happened this morning.

Putting current events to the back of his mind he reached down and put one arm on the lower of the human woman's back. Using his other arm to lift up her legs he carefully picked the woman up, holding her close against him as he started in the direction of the buggy he had used to get here.

The woman's breath was warm against his neck; her head slumped against one of his shoulders. She twitched slightly as if dreaming before she eased into the turian's hold. For once more in his life, Kynarus was feeling something he hadn't felt for a long, long time.


	8. Interlude II

Seven years before the events of the last chapter…

**Location: **Outpost 3A, the barren world of Hallian

Kynarus Vakarian, Lieutenant in the turian infantry and in charge of the guards at Outpost 3A located on the backwater world of Hallian, had been sitting quietly in his quarters while sorting through diary entries and other assorted files on his personal computer. So far he had been on Hallian for four months, running the soldiers through assorted training drills and getting plenty of insults from the soldiers who often thought he couldn't hear them. He could hear them and he didn't particularly care, he was just doing his job after all. That job, for all its interesting benefits also had its fair share of boring paperwork which he was trying to get done now so that he could rest easy tomorrow.

From his quarters he had a large window to gaze out of which was something he often did during the evenings before he went to sleep. The view from this floor allowed him to see the grounds of the whole base and the faint pinpoints of light on the horizon coming from the settlement nearby. At this time of evening the exterior of the base was mostly devoid of life but had plenty of lights on, providing eerie points of illumination here and there. It was a sort of strangely peaceful view in its own way and one Kynarus often found himself gazing out towards.

Tonight would be no different. Every night here was the same, save for the few days he had every now and then when all his work had been done. Tonight he just had to fill out an accident report since one of the soldiers had shot himself in the leg when a weapon had misfired. The soldier would be fine but Kynarus now had to fill out a bunch of computer forms and send them off to a few certain addresses, describing why the accident had occurred and what the superior officer (Kynarus) had done about it at the time.

Accidents happened more so than the public was lead to believe. The technology used in weapons nowadays was still mostly experimental, especially when the human manufacturers had decided to get in on it. The humans had limited experience in the mass effect systems conventional weapons used nowadays and so their early attempts at making something effective out of them had failed miserably. Sure, now there were plenty of good human manufacturers but Kynarus couldn't help but think the humans were pushing their luck: so far, they had come up with far more experimental designs than any other race. Humans, it seemed, were the most rapidly advancing race in Citadel space. No wonder all the other species distrusted them.

For the last few months Kynarus had been forced to put up with training a bunch of new recruits, the type who had never seen combat before into something that could actually fight effectively. He doubted these soldiers would ever need to put these talents to good use but it was better to be prepared all the same. Hallian was a backwater world; no way would it be attacked by anyone. Still, Kynarus had to do his job otherwise he would be transferred to a more "dangerous" posting somewhere else.

There was another reason why he wanted to stay, one that no one else knew about but could probably figure out if they knew him well enough. It was Lalias Lytherax, the field medic that he had shared so many conversations with during his time here. With her, Kynarus had felt something he never had before and he could tell that Lalias felt the same way.

Lalias was the type of female with the fiery temper, often the type who ended up joining the military for whatever reason. Lalias had been intelligent enough to keep her distance from him; after all there were rules and regulations against fraternization. Thing was, Kynarus was having trouble putting up with such rules and was often the one who sought the other out. Besides, such old fashioned rules and regulations weren't easily followed and were the type many superior officers didn't take much notice of.

Kynarus swivelled about in his chair once he had added the finishing touches to the accent report on his personal computer. Switching the monitor off he turned to face the window, gazing out as he usually did on a night like this. The sky was filled with stars and far away clouds of purple and blue, all being part of one of the arms of the galaxy itself. That was the beauty of a remote planet such as this: the sky was always full of stars and bound to captivate any who looked up during a night like this.

Kynarus remained sitting and gazing for a few more minutes, watching as a pair of obviously bored guards loitered in the grounds below. The night shift was never something someone enjoyed in a place like this but there would always be a time where you would end up having to do it, regardless of how you were. The only one who got out of it was the Captain and he was always in his office doing all the main paperwork and getting the base organized. Kynarus was just in charge of the soldiers and not anything else.

While the Lieutenant was sitting, engaging himself in the serene view of the minimally populated military base and the surrounding countryside there happened to be the sound of the door of his quarters opening behind him. Swivelling around, Kynarus was surprised to see a familiar figure standing in the doorway and so found himself speechless for a moment.

"Lalias? Is there something wrong?" Kynarus turned to the familiar and slender figure standing in the doorway. Lalias Lytherax, the only female turian stationed at the base was standing in the doorway in a standard uniform which fitted her frame snugly. Her usual bright mood seemed a little subdued, as if there was something on her mind that was bothering her.

Kynarus frowned, unsure of why she was here. It seemed safe enough to assume that she just wanted to talk; after all they had gotten to know each other quite well over the last few months. She had told him all about her younger years when she was living on Palaven to a single strict father. He had been a General and it seemed unsurprising that he had forced this strong military service belief onto his only daughter.

Kynarus had told her all about his childhood on another part of Palaven, one of the regions with a hotter climate than most others. He had told her how much his father hadn't liked the idea of him taking on full-time military service seeing as his father had been a C-Sec man to the bone. C-Sec was the very organization his father had forced Kynarus' brother Garrus into and the last time Kynarus had seen his brother it was obvious C-Sec wasn't as good as their father had made it out to be. Not that Kynarus cared much for his brother; the two hardly ever saw each other and tended to avoid contact if possible.

Lalias seemed a little unsure of herself, quite a change to her usual smart-alecky mood. She did manage to say something after struggling to find a start, merely smiling once she did.

"I just wanted to talk, that's all," she said, stepping into the room. She was looking as attractive as ever, something which she never seemed to fail at doing in Kynarus' eyes.

The Lieutenant stood up, scratching at the back of his head while he tried figuring out what could be so urgent to need a private visit to his quarters.

"What's on your mind?" Kynarus asked, stepping towards her. He could smell something, a sweet perfume type smell that seemed to be emanating from her. This was unusual but seemed the type of thing a woman of Lalias type would do. A thought was slowly forming at the back of Kynarus' mind but he was doubtful of it, regardless of how he thought about her…

"The only thing that's on my mind is you, Kynarus," she said, stepping closer so that she was mere inches away from him.

Kynarus was slightly taken aback by this remark but didn't say anything. Rather, he looked down into her bright green eyes and she returned the gesture. Within seconds he found himself lost in her gaze, unable to help but remain transfixed.

"It's going to be a quiet night tonight," Lalias said, one of her arms going around to his lower back, "at least, for the others. What did you plan on doing?"

Kynarus paused for a moment, feeling Lalias' other hand move up to the base of his neck. He could feel his heart beating wildly all of a sudden, the smell of Lalias' sweet perfume almost overwhelming his other sentences. He managed a quick glance over her shoulder, seeing that the door was shut and locked to the outside. This ensured privacy which was probably what Lalias had been planning all along.

Kynarus found himself putting an arm around her, bringing her closer to him. Their bodies pressed together slightly, Kynarus able to feel her curved and slender frame as a warm mass against his own much bulkier one. Her heart was beating quickly, he could feel it against his own chest and this was enough for his own heart-rate to increase considerably.

"Nothing much," Kynarus replied, holding her close and gazing into her eyes, "but since you're here I'm sort of keen on changing that."  
Lalias smiled the smile that Kynarus had gotten to know so well over the last few months. It was the type of smile that managed to light up a room (figuratively speaking), the type that made anyone who saw it immediately feel better inside. It was also the type Lalias often gave when she felt good about herself, as if someone had just given her a compliment.

"Are you serious about that?" She asked although she already knew the answer. Kynarus had wrapped his other arm around her and now that hand was on one side while the other was close to her shoulder. They stood embraced like this for a few minutes, lost in each other's gazes.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kynarus said, smiling. There was a brief pause but it was soon over when the Lieutenant leaned forwards, planting his mouth against Lalias'. He began to rub his hands against her back while they kissed, Lalias doing the same. He pressed his waist against hers, moving one hand towards the zips on the front of her uniform.

Kynarus removed himself from the kiss, Lalias standing still with a large smile on her face while the Lieutenant reached across and pulled open the front zip on her uniform. Pulling it off of her with one hand he threw it to one side, letting it fall to the floor.

Lalias reached over and started at the clips holding Kynarus' regulation trousers on him. They were easily undone and they fell to the floor quickly, Kynarus smiling as he reached over and did the same to Lalias. Within minutes the pair had stripped each other completely and so embraced again, this time Kynarus starting with a passionate kiss mouth-to-mouth before moving down to her neck.

He could feel her smooth, scaly skin against his and the warmth of her bare body against his own. The smell of her perfume seemed strangely intense and was enough to send him into a sort of frenzy, kissing her on the neck and then on the chest while the pair were embraced. His hands rubbed against her sides, followed by her back and then pressed her closer.

Kynarus pulled back from his kissing and put his hands to her backside, Lalias lifting up her legs and wrapping them around his waist. Kynarus supported her as he guided her towards the bed towards the side of the room, lying her down before him and gazing upon her with renewed passion.

Ever since they had met the passion and attraction between them had gradually increased and tonight it seemed it would all be released, one way or another. Kynarus could feel his heart running absolutely wild as he put a hand to her chest and gently felt along her smooth skin, his gaze meeting with hers. She giggled, Kynarus bringing himself forwards so that he hovered over her on the bed. He leaned forward and began kissing her again, first on the neck and then on the chest while his hands went around her sides and gripped her firmly on the back. She didn't seem to mind, merely giggling as he kissed her and rubbed his bulky frame against her own.

Kynarus began officially a few seconds later, thrusting gently but passionately against her. He felt Lalias tense beneath him, the young female groaning slightly as he brought himself forwards again. Kynarus grunted quietly, putting his head down low and close to her shoulder. He could feel her warm breath against his neck which increased in speed as Kynarus brought himself forwards much stronger.

Their movements continued for a little while longer, Lalias moaning loudly as Kynarus reached the end. When it was over Kynarus removed himself from her and managed a look down at her face, noticing the way she smiled back at him. Leaning forwards he kissed her again and she reached up and wrapped his arms around him, the pair continuing this for a little while longer. Soon enough, however, their desires for each other yearned for more than just kissing and embracing and once more they began moving with each other again, Kynarus managing a subdued grunt as he started again.

When they were done, Kynarus shifted herself off of Lalias and lay in the bed beside her. She rested her head on his chest and put one arm around him, the pair talking quietly as they lay inside the cool interior of the quarters. Through the window the lights from the grounds of the base outside had gradually started to switch off, the entire base falling into darkness as the majority of its occupants went to sleep. It would be an hour or so before the two lovers in this bed would fall asleep, the pair remaining awake for a little while longer as if to merely savour the time they had together.

Kynarus had no idea that this would be the last night he would be spending with Lalias. Tomorrow would begin as any ordinary day but would become something much different and much worse. Until then, he and Lalias seemed to have all the time in the world…

* * *

Lalias was the first to wake up the next morning, lying on her stomach while the sheets only covered up to her waist. It seemed that her partner in the bed had taken up use of most of the sheets, lying completely covered on her left and still fast asleep. She remembered the events of last night vividly and didn't feel that there had been anything wrong with it, just as long as no one else caught them together like this.

For the past few months she and Kynarus had gotten to know each other well. She knew all about Kynarus' C-Sec father and the way he had seemingly disowned Kynarus once he had decided to take on full-time military service. It was a typical happening when someone had a father like that but Kynarus didn't seem too concerned about it. After all, he was a decorated war hero who had been transferred to a boring assignment here on Hallian. His father should be proud of what his son did but it Kynarus didn't seem to think that was the case.

Last night had been something Lalias had known was inevitable. The pair had seen something in each other from day one and recently Lalias hadn't been able to help but think of Kynarus all too often. Sure, they were friends and got as close as someone was permitted to get to a fellow soldier but often these types of rules and regulations weren't enforced. They were old-fashioned, dating back from the far stricter eras of the military. These days things were much looser and all sorts of soldiers got away with doing all sorts of previously forbidden things.

Lalias lay thinking about this for a little while longer until her train of thought was abruptly halted when the large shape under the sheets on her left moved slightly, groaning loudly. One hand reached up and pushed the covers away, revealing the top half of Kynarus who looked awfully tired still. Sunlight was filtering through the window and straight onto the bed, a few streaks getting right into his eyes. He closed them, allowing them to adjust before turning his head and looking towards Lalias. Without saying anything he leaned forwards and planted his mouth against her shoulder, running a hand down her bare back and kissing her lightly.

One thing Lalias had noticed was how Kynarus happened to be one of the most seductive lovers she had ever had. Last night he had been wonderful, knowing just how to treat a woman in the bedroom. She felt some hunger for more but it wasn't until she looked at the time displayed on the dormant screen of Kynarus' personal computer that she realized more would have to wait.

"The others might start wondering where we are," Lalias said, rolling onto her side and facing Kynarus. He pulled his head away and returned her gaze, his right hand going towards her chest. He seductively ran his hand across her chest and down her side, feeling every curvature of her body. Lalias giggled, she hadn't been in the company of a man in this fashion for quite some time. She knew Kynarus well enough to know he hadn't been intimate with a woman for a few years, his time having been more concentrated on his ever strengthening military career.

"They can wait a little while longer, I think," Kynarus said, about to lean forward again and kiss her. He was halted when an irritating beeping sound began being emitted from the intercom on the wall near his desk. Lalias only smiled, lying down so he could reach over and flick a switch on the wall-mounted device. It wasn't often he got a private call straight to his quarters so it must have been something important.

Upon opening the channel the voice of Captain Jakalas sounded through the intercom. Usually the Captain was calm and collected but today he sounded especially agitated, as if something had come up that he didn't like. Kynarus was surprised to be getting a call from him, especially one from the Captain.

"Lieutenant, something's come up," the Captain said, "I know you're probably intent on sleeping in this morning but it's important that you come down to my office within the next half hour. Do you hear me, Lieutenant?"

"Yes sir," Kynarus replied half-heartedly. The intercom was silent, allowing Kynarus to switch it off and lie back down in the bed. Lalias frowned slightly, not quite sure what to think of this new development.

"What do you think it's about?" She asked as Kynarus lay back onto his side, facing her. His right hand came forwards again and began feeling along her side.

"I don't know," Kynarus said, "but I do know it can wait." As soon as he had finished the sentence he gently pushed Lalias so she rolled onto her back. Pulling the sheets up and over them, Kynarus moved on top of her and wrapped his arms around her. Lalias giggled but stopped when Kynarus put his mouth to hers, the pair engaging in a passionate kiss and much more seconds later.

* * *

Little more than half an hour later Kynarus had made his way to the Captain's office, dressed in his Lieutenant's uniform and feeling a bit good about himself. He could still smell Lalias' perfume on him and hoped no one else would notice.

Last night's events had been a bit unexpected, to say the least. He had always known there had been something more than just a friendship forming between him and Lalias although he had never thought she would come to him. Rather, he had been quite sure Lalias was the type who would have waited for him to confront her, privately of course.

What had happened had happened and there was no use dwelling on the past. He and Lalias were more than just friends now and this development would have to be kept between the two of them. After all, there were rules and regulations against it and the last thing Kynarus needed was to be transferred away from Lalias.

Arriving at the door of the Captain's office which was located in the front administration building, Kynarus saluted to the guard on duty outside the door and only got a strange look from the young soldier.

"Something good happen to you, sir?"

"What?"

"I can tell," the soldier replied as Kynarus dropped the salute, "so tell me, what is it? A pay-rise maybe?"  
Kynarus paused for a moment, reaching for the panel by the door. He knew better than to tell a regular soldier, merely grinning as he pressed the doorbell button.

"It wasn't a pay-rise," Kynarus said, the doorbell buzzing loudly. Over the speaker by the panel was a muffled grunt, followed by what sounded like something falling to the floor. There was some swearing before the Captain finally spoke up, grunting seconds later.

"Who is it?"

"Lieutenant Vakarian," Kynarus replied, "you wanted to see me?"

There was a pause while the Captain considered his response. Kynarus waited patiently, able to hear what sounded like drawers opening followed by several clunks as a few objects hit a hard surface.

"Come in," the Captain said before adding, "by the way, you're ten minutes late. I expect my troops to be punctual…"  
The door slid open, allowing Kynarus entry into the office. It had been quite a while since Kynarus had been inside the Captain's office and he was only slightly surprised when he saw that nothing about it had changed. It was still neat, with a window behind the desk where Captain Jakalas was sitting and a tall pot plant in the far right corner. A few cabinets were on the left wall while on the right was an old flag bearing the insignia of a turian colony, probably the one the Captain hailed from. The flag was a relic from an ancient conflict but Kynarus could tell the Captain still thought of himself as a member of that colony and not merely a member of the turian race.

The Captain looked up from his neat and tidy grey desk as Kynarus entered the room, the door closing behind him. The Captain gestured towards the empty seat ahead of him, past the desk and Kynarus sat down. He didn't have any idea why the Captain wanted to see him although he could tell the ageing turian was worried about something. His usual business-like manner had been replaced with a noticeably more anxious one, especially when he looked towards Kynarus and began talking.

"Lieutenant, you're probably wondering why I called you to my office this fine morning," the Captain said, one hand going for a datapad lying on his desk, "but the reason is quite simple…."

He seemed hesitant to continue which was enough to increase Kynarus' curiosity considerably. He had never seen the Captain so nervous before and even began to feel uneasy himself as if nervousness was contagious. It probably was.

"An outpost outside of the human settlement has fallen out of contact and has remained that way for the last twenty-four hours," the Captain said, glancing down at the datapad in front of him, "it was a laboratory where the humans were researching a Prothean artefact they had found in the same area. The thing is…"

Kynarus could now safely feel worried. Usually when that kind of place went out of contact for long periods it either meant there were power problems or that something had gone quite wrong. It was often the latter, he knew this from experience but he wasn't too sure about why he had never heard of this laboratory facility in particular.

"How come I don't know about these labs?" Kynarus asked, frowning. He could tell that the Captain had been hiding something and was probably nervous now since he would have to disclose that secret.

"Because it's been a well kept secret ever since the colony here on Hallian was established," the Captain said, finally quashing his doubts about the whole subject and blurting out the necessary information, "I made an agreement with the humans, one that would benefit both parties. I and my forces here would not interfere with the human operations at the facility and in exchange they would…would…"  
Kynarus leaned forward slightly, now very interested to see where this conversation was going.

"What?"  
"They would pay me…a lot…" The Captain sighed in resignation, realizing he had just sealed his fate. Kynarus was taken aback by this sudden confession: the Captain had been accepting money from the humans in exchange for keeping whatever they were doing at these aforementioned laboratory facilities quiet. That could only mean one thing…

"You're corrupt. You're a criminal…" Kynarus could hardly believe it but the Captain had just confessed. No wonder the ageing turian had been on edge this morning.

The Captain looked aghast at what Kynarus had just said, slamming a fist down onto the table in a noticeably angered fashion.

"Just let me finish! You can arrest me later if you're so intent on upholding the law," the Captain said, his voice changed to one of anger and frustration. Kynarus fell silent, allowing the Captain to continue with what he had to say.

"The laboratory has obviously been attacked. I don't know by who but the thing I'm worried about is what they're after…"

"The Prothean artefact?"

The Captain nodded in agreement.

"Precisely. It was recently moved to the storage areas of this very base," the Captain said, "for 'protection' according to the lead scientist. I think he knew what was coming…"  
Kynarus was beginning to find this all very hard to believe. All this new information and all these startling revelations about his commanding officer were beginning to confuse the hell out of him. The idea that the planet was being attacked also seemed hard to fathom.

"I brought you into my office this morning Kynarus because I want you and a squad of your choice to go the laboratory facility," the Captain said, "I'm afraid that whoever hit the facility is going to figure out where the main artefact went, which will take them straight to this base. If you can intercept them before they realize where it is then you can probably stop them with minimal loss of life. The human settlement is already on high alert so the local authorities should help you out where they can, otherwise you and your squad will be on its own."  
Kynarus nodded although there was just one thing that was bugging him about all of this: he was now working under a corrupt officer. He knew that deep down he could do very little about it but he _wanted_ to do something, he wanted to make sure the Captain was punished for such a criminal offence. Of course, that would have to be when all of this was over which could be several hours from now.

"I don't like this one bit, Captain," Kynarus said, getting up out of his seat and standing, "but I'll do it, if only to get rid of any obstacles first. That way, when I finally take you down it'll be easier."

The Captain nodded in understanding, resigned to his fate. He knew he had wronged he just hadn't reckoned on there being this sort of sudden development that would lead to him confessing his wrongdoing.

"What were the humans doing with the artefact?" Kynarus asked, deciding to get as much information as he could before he headed up to the barracks. Every little bit could help but he doubted that the Captain had much more to add.

"I don't know anymore than what I've already told you," the Captain said, "and that's the truth. It was not my place to ask what the humans were doing, I was just getting paid to keep quiet about it and keep my soldiers in the dark about it. I was to keep any governing power out of it as well, which is what I've been doing.

"You are the first other turian besides myself to know about the laboratory facility," the Captain continued, "The place itself is disguised as a dilapidated old human-made repair garage. It shouldn't be too hard to miss but I would be careful, Lieutenant."

Kynarus nodded but couldn't help but shake the feeling that there was more going on than he was being told. Sure, the Captain might have told him all he knew but the fact that there was absolutely no indication as to who the attackers were bugged Kynarus considerably. How was he supposed to know what tactics to use and what equipment to bring if he didn't even know what they were going to be fighting? Today, it seemed, was getting more and more interesting as it went on.

"Get going Lieutenant," the Captain said, "like I said, you can arrest me later. Just make sure whoever attacked the lab doesn't end up coming here."

Those were the last words Kynarus heard from the Captain's mouth since when he did finally meet the Captain again he would find the ageing turian dead. The Lieutenant didn't stick around for much longer, departing the Captain's office and heading towards the barracks where he would find Lalias and the other soldiers.


	9. The Good Doctor

**Location: **Deckar's Stand settlement, Talerian

There was a single medical clinic in Deckar's Stand and it was only a small affair, populated with a few doctors, nurses and some orderlies. The main hospital was way on the other side of the settlement and was the place that got the most attention from the settlement's inhabitants, leaving the clinic as the quiet little place for those who didn't need serious medical attention. Often the citizens of Deckar's Stand tended to look after themselves better and not bother with help from a certified doctor, reducing the daily inflow of patients to the clinic considerably.

However, those that did come were often the types who were simply here to pick up medication or get a simple check-up. This sort of thing was happening every day, especially with the older aged percentage of the population: they would come in, get their medication and leave without doing much else. The clinic itself had a pharmacy section which seemed to be getting more people visiting it than the clinic itself. If all else, the Deckar's Stand Medical Clinic was a quite and modest business.

The doctor working at the clinic today was the middle-aged and sort of bored Dr. George Hendrickson. He was the type of doctor who didn't care much for niceties with his patients and merely wanted to get the job done. One reason for this was the fact he couldn't stand the sight of blood, whether that blood was human, turian, asari…anything. Just seeing it made him feel sick inside as if he had just eaten something that hadn't agreed with his insides. That's why he often tried to get the most bloodiest of cases (which wasn't many) out of the way as soon as he could and move on to the more modest ones.

Hendrickson had short, greying hair and was of medium statue. He had been on Talerian for the past three years and had learnt that it wasn't the most interesting place one could be a doctor on. When he had arrived here he had thought that maybe Deckar's Stand could be one of the most successful human colonies such as the one on Eden Prime but that hadn't been the case: Deckar's Stand had turned into a quite bedroom community with more old people than young people. There were gang-ridden ghettoes as well in some areas where groups of young hoodlums went about vandalizing and killing each other much like the gangs did back in the megatropolises of Earth.

Now Hendrickson had trouble remembering why he had come to Talerian in the first place. The planet was cold and mostly barren save for the gardens set up in and around the city. The sun was also one of those gradually dying stars that would blossom into a red giant in the next few million years and wipe out whatever would be on this planet at the time. Not that Hendrickson planned on being on Talerian much longer, he had so far managed to save up a "retirement fund" of about fifty thousand credits so far which would ensure that he would get a ride off of Talerian and be able to live somewhere more interesting and less cold effectively.

Until that time would come Hendrickson was stuck in Deckar's Stand, tending to the many patients that came in. Most of these patients were ones who might have cut their hands or sprained their ankles which just went to show how boring this job of being a doctor was getting. If Dr. Hendrickson ever found himself having to reassure some old woman that her legs weren't broken and merely aching then he might actually explode…

Hendrickson was sitting in his office, a nice quaint little room where his patients would walk in and he would usually tell them what was wrong with them, if anything. Tapping his fingers impatiently on the old wooden desk he reached over to the intercom and flicked a switch on it. He had come to the conclusion that he ought to start work proper for today, calling the receptionist.

"Sally, are there any patients here yet?" Hendrickson asked, hoping the answer would be "no". That would give him an excuse to pull out that bottle of vodka he had in one of his desk's drawers and start getting drunk. Hopefully that way he would be told to go home while they called in another doctor.

Sally, the young female receptionist who checked in each of the patients, responded with quite a different answer.

"Yes there is, doctor. Ms. Robertson is here complaining about a pain in her chest. Should I let her in?"

Hendrickson rolled his eyes. Ms. Helen Robertson, some little old lady who had lived on Talerian ever since Deckar's Stand had been nothing more than a single hotel with an outhouse, was often visiting the clinic and complaining of pains here and there. Usually they were just nothing and often Hendrickson found himself trying to reassure her that she should stop worrying about them. One reason why Ms. Robertson had a habit of coming to the clinic at least once a week was so she could share town gossip, thinking that Dr. Hendrickson actually cared for that sort of thing. He didn't but let her ramble anyway, merely pretending to listen.

"Just send her in," Hendrickson replied, switching off the intercom and sitting back in the vinyl swivel chair. He twirled about briefly, taking in the interior of his office and realizing how bland it was. All the other doctors who worked at the clinic usually put posters up on the walls or something but not Hendrickson. He doubted that his patients would want to enter his office to find posters with detailed diagrams of the human reproduction system pasted all over the walls.

Seconds later the door slid open and in stepped an ever shortening and stooped over old woman, typical of the type one might see hanging around in groups in the park or at a nursing home. Ms. Robertson was a widow, her husband having passed away about five years ago and leaving her with a house on the outskirts, near the old warehouse district. She was in her early nineties and probably close to dropping dead which might explain why she kept showing up to the clinic and complaining about the slightest pains or aches she felt. Any of that kind of thing could probably kill her and so Hendrickson, as the doctor, had to make sure she was fine.

Hendrickson put on a false smile in order to seem welcoming to the old woman as she sat down across the desk from him. She was dressed in her usual thick, woollen outfit and trousers. This all helped protect herself from the cold outside, that way she wouldn't die from the cold. Someone as old as her had to be careful.

"What is it today, Helen?" Hendrickson asked, sitting up in his seat and activating the small personal computer off to his left. He brought up her file, not because he wanted to read it but just so it looked like he was doing something. Leaving it open on her file he shifted his gaze back towards the old woman, noticing she had her wrinkled face further wrinkled into a frown.

"Well doctor, it's this pain in my chest I've been feeling all morning," she said, rubbing her chest with one hand to emphasize her point, "it feels like a sort of burning pain and I've been…well…_burping_ a lot lately."

Hendrickson nodded in understanding, already with a good idea of what it could be. Before he could pin a diagnosis he needed a little more information just so he could be sure and begin with the processing of trying to reassure the old woman that she would be fine.

"Did you eat anything you don't usually have? Like last night for dinner, maybe?"

Ms. Robertson paused to think about this for a moment, her fractured old memory taking some time to rifle through. Hendrickson sat back and let her think about it for a moment, quite confident that he knew what was wrong with her.

"Well, I did have some spicy food," she said finally, "I went to a friend's house for dinner, you see…"

"Have you ever heard of indigestion?" Hendrickson asked.

The old woman nodded.

"Did you ever think that you might have it?"

The old woman paused, thinking about this for a moment. Hendrickson waited patiently, tapping his fingers on the desk while he did so.

"Is it serious?" Ms. Robertson asked, suddenly looking aghast.

Hendrickson shook his head, unable to help but smile and trying his best not to burst out laughing.

"It isn't serious Helen, but you can find some stuff in the pharmacy to help ease it a little," Hendrickson said, "just ask the people there about it. I don't know how much it'll cost, though…"

Ms. Robertson nodded, looking a bit disbelieving but otherwise accepting the doctor's diagnosis.

"Are you sure…"

"Yes," Hendrickson interrupted suddenly, the old woman falling silent. The last thing he needed right now was a long conversation where he tried convincing the old woman that there was nothing seriously wrong with her. There was a brief silence which Hendrickson found quite calming, realizing he had just avoided an argument with the old woman. Every other time she had come here she had managed to keep pressing the fact that maybe there was something more seriously wrong with her, as if she could die or something…

"Now, I'm sure you can handle yourself out there," Hendrickson said, "I've probably got other patients waiting for me…"

Ms. Robertson wasn't about to leave just like that. Rather, she leaned forwards slightly, reverting to her gossip telling stance. This sort of thing was inevitable whenever Ms. Robertson came in for whatever reason and so it seemed Hendrickson would have to pretend to be interested.

"What is it now, Helen?" He asked, sighing, "I may have other people waiting to see me…"

"Did you hear?" Ms. Robertson asked, her eyes wide, "there's been some shooting over at the old warehouse district. No one's sure what happened but they're thinking it might have something to do with that turian that arrived here recently…"  
Hendrickson rolled his eyes; as usual Ms. Robertson was trying to engage him in a conversation about recent gossip. He didn't care much for what was happening in Deckar's Stand: the place was a shithole anyway. However, what Ms. Robertson said about there being a turian here struck him as strange. He sat listening with a detached interest as she began rambling on in her usual manner.

"You ever seen a turian? They're tall creatures; they are, with scales and beady eyes…"

"Helen, I may have other people waiting for me so I'm going to have to ask you to leave…"

There was often no way to get Ms. Robertson to leave while she had begun rambling, Hendrickson usually being forced to sit out what she was saying until she finished and left at her own accord. He did manage to make it look like he cared for what she was saying although it was a tough act to follow.

"This one was especially suspicious. He even carried a gun! I'm surprised the authorities haven't picked him up yet…"  
_Probably because this turian hasn't done anything wrong_, Hendrickson thought to himself.

"Isn't it illegal to carry guns without a licence? I'm fairly certain this turian hasn't got a licence…"

There were never very many turians on Talerian and those that hung around in Deckar's Stand were only a relatively small group and usually kept to themselves. Hendrickson was yet to see the suspicious turian Ms. Robertson was talking about and didn't care much about it either. What those aliens did was really none of his business.

Ms. Robertson soon fell silent, standing up and telling Hendrickson that she had to go. _Thank God_, Hendrickson thought with a slight smile as the old woman turned around and left, leaving the doctor alone in his office. Once the door had slid shut the doctor had reached over and flicked the switch on the intercom, thinking whether he should get the next patient sent in or not. He could do with a ten minute period in which he sat around and didn't do anything, he liked those.

He took his hand away from the intercom and opened the topmost drawer in his desk which was just to his left, finding the bottle of fairly cheap vodka he had picked up from a store further inside the town a few days ago. He had always had a taste for overly strong alcoholic drinks and vodka was no different, the doctor picking up the bottle with the old fashioned writing on its label and unscrewing the lid.

Just out of curiosity he flicked open the channel on the intercom, calling his receptionist once again.

"Hey Sally, how many more people are in the waiting room?"

"None, doctor. Why?"

Hendrickson smiled. Another easy day on the job, it seemed.

"No reason. Just make sure no one disturbs me for the next half hour, is that alright?"  
"Yes doctor."

Hendrickson switched off the channel on the intercom once again and casually put the bottle of vodka to his lips, beginning to down the contents and wince at the strong taste. He coughed, pulling the bottle away from his mouth as his taste-buds were overcome with the strong taste.

"Good God," he said, "what shit!"

Regardless, he kept drinking. He hadn't been able to have a decent drink for a while and this vodka seemed a welcome relief, especially since it would loosen up his mind a little and probably make the rest of today easy. Being sober just made everything so much more complicated.

Another few minutes passed and he was only a third of the way through the bottle when Sally the receptionist's voice broke the silence of the office, emanating from the intercom and crackling slightly from her sudden shouting. Hendrickson almost jumped out of his skin from fright but soon composed himself and opened the channel.

"Is there something wrong, Sally?" Hendrickson asked, putting the bottle of vodka onto his desk. Whatever was going on it had got Sally worked up quite a bit, she sounded almost hysterical.

"There's…there's a turian here! He's…He's…"

Hendrickson frowned at what she said, unable to quite work out what a turian would be doing at the clinic. Maybe the guy had decided to hold Sally at gunpoint or something? Hendrickson wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, those aliens were certainly not to be trusted.

"What's going on, Sally? And stop yelling, it's hurting my ears." Hendrickson kept a calm and collected tone but couldn't help but feel some annoyance at how his private session of time-wasting had been interrupted.

"You should come out and take a look yourself, doc! He needs help…"

_A turian needing a human's help? Marvellous. Absolutely marvellous._ Hendrickson rose to his feet and started for the door which slid open as he approached. Whatever was going on out in the waiting room better be worth his time otherwise he would get very annoyed, possibly even yell. It was strange though how today had just got more interesting than any other day he had spent in Deckar's Stand. Sure, he had no idea what was going on exactly but it seemed more interesting than trying to reassure some old woman that she wasn't going to die from heartburn.

* * *

Hendrickson could hear yelling as he started down the hallway, most of it coming from someone he was yet to see. He could tell it was the turian Sally had mentioned, the noticeable "flanging" effect of the voice could be made out quite clearly. Those turians seemed to have two sets of vocal chords which operated at the same time as one another, one set creating their main, reasonably human sounding voice but the other acting on a much deeper tone and reverberating as they spoke. Since the turian out in the waiting room was yelling something about needing a doctor it was much easier to notice this "flanging" effect. To top things off, Sally had begun yelling at him to calm down. All the noise was beginning to get on the doctor's nerves and he entered the waiting room in a very bad mood. That was until he saw all the blood that had gotten on the floor and was all over the chest of the brown-haired woman the turian was holding.

Standing in front of the reception desk was a turian; his face a blue-grey with blue-facial markings. He was tall, like most turian males and was dressed in dark grey and black armour. Held in his arms was a motionless human woman who looked to be only in her mid to late twenties who was dressed in dark trousers and a brown-red jacket.

Hendrickson suddenly felt ill when he saw all the blood that had spread across her chest, emanating from one bloody splotch in particular which was also where a large hole had been punched in her clothes there. Whenever Hendrickson saw blood he felt incredibly ill and uneasy, now being no different.

The turian saw him standing at the end of the hallway, gazing out towards the frantic scene inside the waiting room. The turian turned to him, his face wrought with frustration.

"She needs help," the turian said, obviously referring to the human woman he held in his arms, "she's dying…"  
Hendrickson suddenly found it impossible to say a word. The blood which was seeping out from the woman's wound and dripping onto the clean grey carpet had him transfixed, the doctor finding it hard to avert his eyes. He also felt nauseous, his mind having gone completely blank.

Today had become the most frantic day he had ever had here in Deckar's Stand and contrary to what he should be doing Dr. Hendrickson was simply standing still and gazing at the woman held in the turian's arms. It wasn't because he felt any attraction to her, it was simply because of all the blood that had spread and stained her clothes.

He wasn't quite aware just how much time passed before he was able to snap out of it. It felt like a long time but in reality is was probably only a few seconds, he was just too intent on watching the blood drip onto the carpet. A few large splotches of dark red had formed on the once clean grey carpet and this was the pinnacle of Hendrickson's attention. The more he watched it the more he seemed to feel ill and he had the urge to throw up but it didn't quite come into fruition.

The turian looked at him despairingly, the doctor able to tell that the bleeding woman meant a lot to the turian. Regardless of how the turian felt about her Hendrickson soon realized he wasn't doing what he was supposed to be doing, which was more or less to help the woman. So far he had spent the last ten or twenty seconds watching the blood drip onto the carpet…

"Are you going to do something?!" The turian shouted, both in frustration and concern. Hendrickson snapped out of his trance and gestured down the hall in the direction of the operating room. The seriousness of the situation had just hit him and he realized that if he didn't do something soon the woman in the turian's arms could die. That would be the case unless she was already dead; it was hard to tell from this distance.

Hendrickson thought of asking what had happened but thought better of it, especially when he noticed the pistol holstered at the turian's waist. Whatever they had been doing it was some serious stuff and for a moment Hendrickson thought that the turian had been the one to shoot the woman. He somehow doubted it though, especially with the distraught reaction the turian was having to the fact the woman was probably close to dying.

"Take her through here," Hendrickson said unsteadily, "into the operating room. Lay her on the bed and I can take a closer look at her wound." There was something that struck him as strange by the way the wound looked: it was as if something large had punched its way into the woman's chest, quite unlike what a regular un-modified round would do from a modern conventional weapon. Modern conventional weapons didn't need to be reloaded, their magazines being mere chunks of metal. A single shot contained a particle as small as a grain of sand but was propelled in a mass effect energy field with enough force to cause considerable harm on the target.

The harm such a shot would cause would be more of its sheer concussive force and could be stopped or partially absorbed by most armour and shields. Such wounds wouldn't bleed as much as the one this woman had unless they had been the nefarious "shredder" rounds which tore through flesh like a knife through butter. However, even those didn't bleed as much as this one was. This type of wound was more commonly associated to the ones people received from older weapons, one which fired large rounds that could break themselves up upon impact. The weapon the turian had holstered at his waist was a standard modern-day pistol and unable to cause this much damage.

The turian rushed past, heading for the operating room. Hendrickson still felt nauseous from all the blood but he managed to follow the turian into the room, watching as the turian carefully laid the unconscious woman onto the single bed in the centre of the room. He looked upon her with some noticeable feeling, as if he cared for her very much.

Approaching the bed Hendrickson froze. He was able to see the wound in all its glory, the woman's clothes there stained with fresh red blood. He tried to avert his eyes but realized that wouldn't really help the woman at all and so he managed to swallow his fears and gently pull away the woman's jacket. The bullet wound was much easier to make out now, positioned just above the woman's bosom and placed with some noticeable precision. He turned to the turian, frowning and feeling ill at the same time.

"What weapon was used?" Hendrickson asked, "Because it definitely isn't modern. Do you know?"

The turian frowned, thinking about this for a moment before answering.

"It was something old…I could tell. It looked nothing like what you can get today…"

Hendrickson thought about this, attempting to work out what could have caused such an injury. It was something old, probably an old gunpowder weapon. Those were the types that made the loud noises and fired large slugs. There was no mass effect involved with them, they were simply mechanical and also quite lethal but outdated. It was a fact that some lesser criminal organizations used such weapons; albeit more recently built ones but as far as the general public was concerned such slug-throwing weapons were phased out. There would always be private collectors, people keeping them in glass cases for display and so forth but otherwise the days of the bullet-launching gun were over.

Whatever had caused this woman's injury seemed to have been one of those old slug-throwing weapons. From what Hendrickson knew about them it seemed there had been many, many different types and many more different types of ammunition. He could see the ammunition used had been the basic old-fashioned lead based rounds, otherwise having no otherwise characteristic than simply hurting a lot.

Hendrickson put two fingers to the woman's neck and found a pulse although it was a slow one, as if the body was gradually running out of strength. The first thing that had to be done was to stop the bleeding, something which the doctor wasn't looking forward to doing. He glanced at the turian standing beside him.

"What's your name?" Hendrickson asked, reaching over the table behind him. The table had plenty of surgical implements and medi-gel canisters, one of the implements being a set of what appeared to be very skinny pliers. This was the implement the doctor picked up, clicking them together just to see how well they were moving.

"Kynarus Vakarian," the turian replied although he was more interested in the human woman, sounding distant when he spoke. He put a hand to the woman's side, gazing into her face like someone who had just fallen in love.

"I'm Doctor Hendrickson," the doctor replied, turning his gaze back to the wound on the woman's chest and feeling instantly repulsed. He averted his eyes slightly, the familiar nauseous feeling he got when faced with such sights returning.

Never in the history of this clinic had someone been checked in with a bullet wound. Sure, there had been plenty of cuts and bruises and a few broken limbs but otherwise it was all stuff people could walk away from. The hospital on the other side of town probably received the more serious cases but it was obvious the turian had been urgent in bringing the woman here which indicated he probably couldn't chance spending more time getting to the hospital.

Hendrickson knew he would have to remove the projectile from the woman's chest but he simply couldn't bring himself to gaze towards the bloody mess. The blood flow seemed to be slowing but it was still too much for Hendrickson to be able to look at directly but he knew that if he didn't do something soon chances were the woman would die.

"Aren't you going to administer some medi-gel?!" The doctor was barely aware that the turian was shouting at him, Hendrickson now too deep in his own thoughts and concerns to really be paying attention to much else. He did hear this question and shook his head, knowing full-well that medi-gel wasn't an option at the moment.

"I can't do that if there's a big metal bullet stuck inside her!" Hendrickson exclaimed in response, turning his gaze back to the now angered turian, "I have to remove the bullet first and then we can administer medi-gel, otherwise the gel might mould the bullet to her insides…"

The turian didn't seem to be listening. Rather, he snatched the pliers from the stunned doctor and pushed him out of the way with considerable force. Doctor Hendrickson steadied himself on a bench by the wall and watched with some amazement as the turian, with surprising care, stuck the pliers into the gaping bullet wound and began to search around for the bullet. It was only a few seconds before the turian had found it and he carefully began wiggling it out, turning to the doctor as he did so.

"Get the damn medi-gel!" He shouted, Hendrickson merely nodding in response and picking up one of the medi-gel canisters. He hurried over to the side of the turian, watching as the turian held up the pliers which now held a squashed looking copper coloured object in their clamps. It was the bullet, flattened from the impact but still quite large. The turian turned around and dropped the bullet into the tray on the bench where the other surgical implements and medi-gel canisters were, throwing the bloodied pliers down onto the bench and turning to the doctor.

"Are you going to administer the gel or not?" The turian snapped but he had already snatched the canister off of the doctor before giving him a chance to reply. Hendrickson merely stepped back and watched as the turian carefully administered the gel onto the bloodied bullet wound, the doctor able to tell the turian had had some degree of medical training. He didn't look the doctoring type though, but looks could be deceiving.

Soon enough the bleeding had stopped and Hendrickson had helped the turian hook the human woman up to some monitoring computers which would alert them if anything went wrong inside her. After this they administered some powerful painkillers so that when the woman finally woke up she wouldn't be overcome with the agony associated with a shot to the chest.

The turian, Kynarus Vakarian, sat down on one of the cheap plastic chairs by the back wall of the operating room. He looked exhausted, worried and pissed off all at once but didn't say anything. He let his gaze move to the young human woman lying on the operating bed who was hooked up to a computer that was carefully monitoring her heart rate and blood pressure, beeping quietly with each heartbeat.

Hendrickson didn't feel at liberty to ask what had happened for the woman to get shot and who had shot her. He did know that he made himself out to be an idiot for freezing during those frantic moments when the turian had gone to remove the bullet and administer the medi-gel himself, leaving the doctor to look on with bemusement. Hendrickson was finally beginning to realize that maybe being a doctor shouldn't have been the career path he chose.

"I don't even know her name," Kynarus Vakarian said finally, sounding disbelieving, "I only just met her today. Hell, we haven't even spoken to each other yet. I doubt she knows of my existence…"

Hendrickson was standing by the bench to the side of the room, watching the woman's deep breathing while she slept before turning towards the turian. The doctor had never had much experience with alien species, save for the few volus and salarian merchants in operation around Deckar's Stand. Turians were the ones the doctor tried to avoid since he knew full well that most resented humans. This one didn't seem to be the same; only having lost his cool when Hendrickson had froze and put the human woman's life in jeopardy. That didn't necessarily mean he was a human resenting turian but Hendrickson would play it safe just in case.

It was strange how this turian had brought the woman in but was now saying he didn't even know her name. There was probably a good reason behind that but Hendrickson didn't feel like asking, preferring the turian to tell him first. "'_One last job_' I said. It was only going to be a simple snag, take the needed item to a specific point…" Kynarus was rambling now and Hendrickson was finding it hard to work out what he was talking about but listened on anyway.

"The damn thing was botched," Kynarus said, looking towards the doctor, "that's why she was shot. She had the package and the people who had hired her to get it didn't want to pay her. That's why that Dieter guy shot her…"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Hendrickson found the courage to say something to the turian for once and was sort of surprised when the turian didn't start yelling at him.

"I'm getting ahead of myself," Kynarus said, leaning back in the chair. He sighed, shaking his head as if the events of the morning hadn't yet been digested. He seemed to be in a slight daze now that the franticness of the whole situation was over, his mind ablaze with thoughts about what had happened during the morning and what could possibly happen.

"I'm a mercenary," Kynarus said, "She's one as well." He nodded towards the unconscious young woman lying on the operating bed. Hendrickson merely nodded in response, now realizing why Kynarus was carrying a gun. Gun laws in Deckar's Stand were fairly loose but hardly anyone had one which might explain why no one had jumped on Kynarus for carrying one in plain sight. The authorities of Deckar's Stand were merely a bunch of bored police officers who had seen better days. They usually spent their spare time at the police station watching adult movies and eating doughnuts.

"She had what I had been assigned to get," Kynarus said, "except she was working with another organization. Ever heard of the Zahni Corporation?"

Hendrickson ran the name through his mind briefly, remembering them from broadcasts he had seen a number of times. The Zahni Corporation often advertised that it was bringing humanity into the future with its advancements in warfare but otherwise nothing really happened that concerned the corporation. They broadcasted to get good public relations but otherwise they never revealed exactly what they were doing at their factories and facilities back on Earth. No one had either noticed this or cared about it. In their eyes, the Zahni Corporation was just another big organization with too much money and little to spend it on.

"She was shot by Dieter Sturlmann, the guy in charge of the corporation," Kynarus said, "I confronted him but I let him get away…To save her…"

The turian seemed annoyed at himself but he soon remembered that he had just helped save a life and so perished the thought about the choice he had made. Kynarus was obviously frustrated at how Dieter Sturlmann had escaped but otherwise tried not to show it, still happy that he had saved this woman's life.

"Dieter Sturlmann is the CEO of the Zahni Corporation," Hendrickson said, having recognized the name from one of the broadcasts, "he's apparently very rarely seen in public and so hardly anyone knows what he looks like. He replaced somebody else, a Herbert von Schraeder…"

Kynarus didn't seem too interested in these details and was staring towards the unconscious woman, his face showing that he was deep in thought.

"I've never felt this way about a woman I had just met for years," Kynarus said, "it's strange…"

Hendrickson raised an eyebrow, quite surprised that the turian had begun telling him all of this. He didn't mind listening to what the lizard-face had to say, after all Hendrickson was curious about this whole mercenary business.

"Why are you telling me all of this? I'm just a doctor…"

"I'm telling you because I have no one else to tell," Kynarus said, his gaze shifting back to the doctor, "until she wakes up I'm stuck talking to you. Is there something wrong with that?"

Hendrickson shook his head anxiously, noticing that the turian's gaze had sharpened.

"No, no there isn't," Hendrickson said, "it's just that…if you're a mercenary, there's nothing stopping me from turning you in to the authorities…"

Kynarus didn't seem at all fazed by this remark, merely eyeing the doctor cautiously before grinning.

"Would you really do that?"

"No, I probably wouldn't," Hendrickson replied. He had no reason to; this turian hadn't done anything to him although he had carried a gun into the clinic which was enough to get him a little nervous. Guns made him nervous as much as the sight of blood made the doctor feel sick.

"Good," Kynarus said simply, moving his gaze back to the unconscious young human woman.

Hendrickson thought about leaving the turian to his own devices, starting for the door. He turned around and managed one last look at Kynarus before leaving.

"I'm just going to get something to drink," the doctor told the turian, "if anything happens concerning the girl just shout, alright?"

The turian nodded, allowing the doctor to leave the room. Hendrickson headed out to the waiting room, finding it devoid of patients. Sally, the young blonde-haired receptionist, was sitting at the front desk attempting to get some paperwork done but was still quite shaken by the arrival of the turian. When she saw Hendrickson coming she stood up, curious to hear about what had happened.

"What's going on? Who was that turian?"

Hendrickson shrugged, heading for the refrigerator by the back wall. Opening it he found a bottle of water which had been left there by him a few days ago; he grabbed it and unscrewed the top, downing its contents within seconds and throwing the empty plastic bottle into the small metal bin nearby.

"He's just a mercenary, same goes for the woman he brought in," Hendrickson said, "the woman will be fine, just so you know."

Sally gave a surprised look when Hendrickson mentioned the word "mercenaries". Mercenaries arriving at a local medical clinic weren't something her orderly training had prepared her for.

"Really? Mercenaries?"

"Yes. At least, that's what the turian told me," Hendrickson said, "something went wrong and the woman ended up getting shot. What I find hard to believe is who shot her."

Sally looked interested now, her usual strong sense of curiosity kicking in. She leaned towards Hendrickson, intent on hearing the name of the culprit.

"Who did it?"

"The CEO of the Zahni Corporation, apparently," Hendrickson said, "Dieter Sturlmann. At least, that's what the turian told me. I can't find any reason why he would lie since he seemed genuinely concerned about the woman he brought in."

It took a moment for the name to register in Sally's brain. She looked a little disbelieving at first but Hendrickson merely shrugged.

"What if who shot her finds out she's still alive and traces her back here?" Sally asked, sounding genuinely concerned. This was something Hendrickson hadn't taken the time to think about and was sort of taken aback by the question.

If Dieter Sturlmann had indeed shot her he had probably had the intent n killing her or at the very least incapacitating her. Now it seemed there was a possibility that Dieter might want to finish the job.

"Shit," Hendrickson said aloud, "I never thought about that."


	10. The Clinic

**Location: **Medical Clinic, Deckar's Stand

There was no indication of how much time had passed since she had been shot but it seemed like a while, a long while at that. When she opened her eyes it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the bright set of lights in the ceiling above her.

Katherine Tyler could feel a dull throbbing in one section of her chest which helped jog her memory of what had happened earlier that day. She could remember it all now, the meeting and Dieter. She had been expecting a bulky paycheck from him but had ended up getting shot in the chest at point blank range. She shouldn't have been surprised seeing as Dieter seemed the untrustworthy type, more intent on getting the package than anything else.

Now she seemed to be in some sort of hospital room which made her realize that someone must have found her, bleeding and unconscious. She recovered a fractured memory of looking up towards a turian, silvery-faced with blue facial markings and who seemed to have been helping her. Whoever that turian was and why he was there was currently beyond her and the least of her worries: she wanted to know where she was and whether she would be alright. She was alive now at least but that could change for the worst.

She suddenly felt annoyed with herself for not having seen this coming: Dieter was possibly the type of person that no one could trust, always scheming and planning against his rivals (whoever they were). When she had first accepted the assignment he had seemed nice enough, acting all charming and such until today where he had turned out to be quite the crazy. Apparently he hadn't wanted her to tell anyone else about him and the package and so had shot her. However, it occurred to Katherine that if Dieter had wanted to kill her he would have shot her in the head or something. Instead, here she was hooked up to a medical computer that was beeping with each of her heartbeats and measuring her blood pressure as well. That was a good sign since it meant she wasn't dead.

Katherine felt a little light-headed and realized she was probably loaded full of painkillers. All the better for her then since one thing she didn't need right now was to start yelling in pain and agony. She had experience with getting shot, albeit not as serious as today's shot she took: getting shot hurt a lot, often depending on where you were actually shot. So far she had been shot in the legs, arms and one time in the stomach. It made sense now that she had been shot in the chest, the thought occurring to her that the next time might actually be in her head.

Until that time she had a chance to find Dieter and return the favour, making sure to finish the job this time. She was about to sit up and gather her exact bearings when she felt a hand on her shoulder, holding her down gently which was enough to tell her that sitting up wasn't the best thing to do in her state.

Looking up she found herself staring into the crystal blue eyes of the turian she remembered from the fractured and recent memory: he must have been in the equivalent of the human age of thirty-five, give or take a few. His face was mostly silvery-grey with dark blue facial markings under his eyes and near his chin. Katherine found herself staring into his eyes, unable to help but feel something she hadn't felt for quite some time…

"Take it easy," the turian said in a reassuring tone, "you've been unconscious for a few hours. You don't want to push yourself too hard…"

Katherine frowned, unable to quite determine what the big deal was. She felt fine and seemed to have regained most of her energy but the way the turian was looking at her she decided to stay lying down a while. The turian certainly seemed concerned about her wellbeing even if they had just officially met.

Katherine had some prior experience with turians and had found that many didn't seem to like humans very much but had also encountered a few that didn't mind humans at all. It was obvious this turian cared enough about her to be watching over her like this, the hand he had on her shoulder gently stroking her there. He probably wasn't aware he was even doing it but Katherine didn't mind since it seemed to be helping to calm her down.

"Who are you?" Katherine asked, looking into the crystal eyes of the turian. The turian took his hand off of her and managed what seemed to be the equivalent of a smile with the partially open mouth of his, lines of jagged teeth visible to the sides.

"Kynarus Vakarian," the turian said, "I brought you to this clinic. I didn't think you were going to make it…"

Katherine could tell the turian, Kynarus, cared about her enough to actually be showing some amount of concern on his features. She noticed that he was dressed in grey-black battle armour, a light variant at that. That implied that maybe he might have been involved in the shooting at the courtyard somehow since this would explain how he found her. She found it hard to believe that he could have just been walking by and stumbled upon her unconscious and slumped body.

"I'm Katherine," Katherine said, figuring that she may as well introduce herself as well, "Katherine Tyler. How did you find me?"

The turian shrugged.

"Well Katherine, it's a bit of a long story," Kynarus said, "but I'm sure I can tell you a heavily summarized version. It had to do with that package you had, the container with the code…"  
"BMH-0018?" Katherine said, finishing Kynarus' sentence. The turian nodded, not at all surprised that she knew this.

"We both know it then," Kynarus said, "because both of us were after it. Tell me, who were the people you were meeting with? They seemed a bit out of place…"

Katherine sat up, brushing away the hand the turian placed back on her shoulder to put her back down. There was a brief stab of pain in her chest but otherwise there were no ill effects. She noticed her jacket was off and looking around frantically for it she saw it bundled up and lying on a bench in the corner. That jacket had been with her throughout her whole career as a mercenary and was of significant value. It had seen better days but she made sure it was washed regularly and repaired every now and then.

"Dieter Sturlmann and some of his goons," Katherine said, turning back to the turian, "Dieter's the…"  
"CEO of the Zahni Corporation?" Kynarus said, finishing her sentence. Katherine nodded, able to tell that Kynarus knew a bit more about this than he was letting on.

"You heard of him?"

"Not really," Kynarus replied, pausing to think about this for a moment, "I do know who he is. My employer warned me about him, apparently Dieter's a bit unpredictable. That might explain why he shot you…"

Katherine nodded. Dieter hadn't been planning on paying her in the first place but maybe if he had been in his right mind he wouldn't have shot her. Hell, he probably would have struck a deal if he wasn't as crazy as everyone was making him out to be. Katherine knew she should have known better than to trust an Austrian…

"He got away with the package," Kynarus said. He paused, as if this thought had more to it than he had told her. "I could have got him…but I went back to get you…"  
Katherine couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this statement. If the turian was telling the truth than she had to thank him for saving her life: she probably would have died if she had gone too long without medical attention. If Dieter was still out there that meant she still had the opportunity to go out and get her revenge once she was out of this clinic and back to full health.

"Is that true?" Katherine asked, slightly doubtful about what the turian was saying. Kynarus nodded, he looked sincere enough and Katherine didn't see why he would be making this up. For a moment she didn't know what to say, it seemed that the turian had chosen to save her rather than to pursue Dieter Sturlmann. If that was the case then maybe Kynarus cared more about her than she had first realized.

"Then that means Dieter's still out there and he has the package," Katherine said, "not that I care much about the package anymore. I just want to get Dieter and put a pistol shot in his brain…"

Kynarus looked amused by what Katherine was saying although she wasn't finding the matter particularly funny. Rather, she felt frustrated that she had trusted Dieter enough to meet him only to end up getting shot by him. Maybe if it had just been her and Dieter and none of those goons she might have had a better chance of getting paid.

"Is that all you want? Revenge?" Kynarus asked, sounding a little doubtful of Katherine and what she was saying, "Because it isn't going to get you anywhere. Besides, Dieter's probably long gone or getting ready to go. Talerian isn't exactly the most interesting planet in the galaxy…"

Katherine felt a sudden surge of anger, frowning at Kynarus and refusing to listen to him. If she wanted revenge she could have it, she didn't need some turian she hardly knew telling her what to do.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do," Katherine said angrily. The heart-rate monitor starting beeping faster now as her heart-rate increased but Kynarus, on the other hand, didn't look fazed at all. "I'm going to get Dieter and no one's going to get in my way, is that clear?"

Kynarus shrugged again. He didn't seem very concerned by this; rather he seemed to be smiling.

"Why would you even bother going after Dieter? Because he shot you?" Kynarus asked, a little doubtful of how Katherine was going to go about and get her revenge, "since it probably isn't worth the trouble. You're alive so he obviously stuffed up. Maybe if you hadn't have been shot I wouldn't mind you going on what sounds to be a suicidal attempt to kill Dieter Sturlmann but since you're wounded I don't want you getting hurt much more than you already have."

Katherine nodded, Kynarus seemed to be making a good point but she was still annoyed at how she let Dieter get the drop on her. She was alive, she should be thankful towards the turian and whoever else had helped patch her up. She shouldn't really be planning her vengeance just yet.

"You probably couldn't take Dieter down by yourself anyway," Kynarus said, "he's too high up and too well-protected. Those goons he had with him back at the courtyard? They weren't even human…"

Katherine gave Kynarus a strange look. What was he talking about now? The goons had been human, they had looked human enough. They had just been outfitted in bulky black armour and gas masks for some odd reason. To top that off their eyes had been hidden by the eerie green glow emanating from their goggles…

"What do you mean, they weren't human?" Katherine asked, raising an eyebrow, "of course they were human. What else could they possibly be?"

Kynarus seemed confident enough in his own beliefs to find Katherine's disbelief amusing. He gave the turian equivalent of a smile before answering her question.

"You really should take more notice of these things, Kathy," Kynarus said, "The goons with Dieter were _synthetics_. I killed one, took of its mask and found that there were merely wires and sensors behind it, as well as fake synthetic flesh. That flesh probably helps prevent them from being picked up on conventional scanners as non-human. Why, didn't you notice how odd they were?"

Katherine found it hard to digest these facts. Why wouldn't Dieter's goons have been human? They had all the trademarks of being human except that they had all been roughly the same height and seemed brilliantly disciplined, none having moved a muscle without Dieter's command…

"Shit, you're right," Katherine said, realizing that it suddenly made more sense thinking about the soldiers as being non-human, "but does anyone even have access to that technology?"

Kynarus shook his head, completely unsure about the answer to that question. So far the pair had managed to work out a number of things but how Dieter had such technology at his disposal was beyond the both of them.

"It's probably Zahni Corporation built," Kynarus said, "kept as secrets from the public. I'm beginning to think there's more to this whole situation than just a pair of mercs who were duped by Dieter Sturlmann. Yeah, there's definitely more to this…"

Katherine couldn't help but agree. Dieter Sturlmann had an army of heavy duty synthetic soldiers at his disposal which seemed to make sense since they would be highly expendable and easy to manufacture. The Zahni Corporation had factories throughout South America back on Earth and there were even rumours that the Corporation controlled the region itself. Whatever had been inside the package Dieter now had in his possession was probably quite important seeing as Dieter himself had come all the way to Talerian to get it.

She looked at Kynarus and noticed he was frowning, thinking this whole thing through. She couldn't help but notice that he looked sort of handsome, despite being a turian. There had always been something she had found attractive about the males of the species but of course she had never spoke up about it, preferring to keep this liking of hers quiet. Kynarus was one of the few turians that had the pale blue-grey skin tone; most others were much darker and had dark face markings to go with it.

"Why are you even here, Kynarus?" Katherine asked, curious to work out why he was even on Talerian. Turians were rarely seen on Talerian since most had no reason to come to a human colony.

Kynarus seemed surprised by the question, looking towards Katherine as if his deep thinking had been broken.

"Sorry?"

"Why are you here on Talerian?" Katherine asked again, frowning. Kynarus thought about this, taking a moment or two before answering. He decided he would be best just telling her everything, including how he had been after the package as well.

"I was assigned by an Alliance Colonel to get the package you had," Kynarus said, "I was tipped off to the meeting you had with Dieter. Too bad it didn't end well…"

Katherine was surprised to hear this. Kynarus was just a rival mercenary after the same thing she had been, meaning he still had reason to pursue Dieter. He could get the package and still get paid, unlike Katherine who wouldn't get paid a single credit since Dieter was more intent on killing her than paying her.

Kynarus sighed, as if something major had just occurred to him. He looked towards Katherine thoughtfully with a look that showed some deep conflict, the turian thinking of whether he should tell Katherine a certain detail about the assignment he had received from this Alliance Colonel.

"Just so you know, I was told to kill whoever had the package and whoever else was after it," Kynarus said, "that includes you. I…I don't think I can bring myself to kill you…"

Katherine wasn't sure whether to take this as a mercy or a mere compliment; it was hard to tell with a turian.

"No, I won't be killing you," Kynarus said, "I was sort of expecting some sort of grizzled, ruthless merc to have the package but instead I find a pretty human woman like you in possession of it. You can't imagine how much that changed everything…"

Katherine could see that Kynarus meant what he was saying. Those striking blue eyes of his had met with Katherine's and for a few minutes the pair merely gazed into each other's eyes, seemingly lost in them. It was strange, Katherine thought, how she had only met this turian and already they were gazing into their eyes like long-time lovers.

"Tell me more about yourself, Kynarus," Katherine said, "if we're going to be stuck with each other's company for a while we should at least get to know each other better."

Kynarus nodded, agreeing with this entirely. It made sense: if the pair were planning on taking down Dieter than it would be best if they knew more about each other than just mere names.

"There isn't much to me, just so you know," Kynarus said, thinking through what he was going to say. He wasn't going to give her the full story of his life and the events that had shaped him into the man he is now, he was just going to tell her the essentials. She didn't need to know about Hallian and Lalias, at least not yet.

"I'm twenty-nine years old and I've been a mercenary for about seven years," Kynarus said, "I'm the youngest of two in the family. My older brother, Garrus, works for Citadel Security. I can't say I envy him, though."

"Being a law enforcer never interested you, did it?" Katherine could already tell that Kynarus was the type of person full of harsh memories and contradictions. She had always been good at reading people, no matter their species. It's what had got her so far in her career as a mercenary.

"No, it never did," Kynarus replied, "although my father was in C-Sec. He was all about it, enforcing the law and helping the general public. That's why Garrus ended up in C-Sec but when my turn came I wasn't interested. Instead, I turned around and left home without a second thought. That was more than a decade ago and I haven't seen my father since."

Katherine raised an eyebrow. No wonder Kynarus seemed so withdrawn, he lacked the sort of strong connection to his family to really care about much anymore. Other events had probably shaped his life considerably but Katherine was in no position to ask about those, merely letting Kynarus tell her what he wanted to tell her.

"I hardly ever see my brother although from what I've heard he's quite the hothead. I met him recently, we had an argument. Thinks I've been neglecting the family."

"Have you?"

Kynarus looked up from his reminiscing and turned to Katherine, shrugging again. He obviously didn't care much for his family which probably hinted at a rather tough childhood. No wonder he was a mercenary.

"I don't know," Kynarus replied, shaking his head, "not that I care anyway. So what if I don't want to speak to my father? He was always just pressuring me to do as good as my older brother that I simply rebelled and left. No C-Sec application for me, hell no. That's why I ended up in the military in a permanent role. What about you?"

Katherine wasn't too sure on what to say but supposed she should just tell her equivalent of what Kynarus had said. It seemed rather calming, talking about each other's lives. It took her mind off of getting back at Dieter and the stress that came with such an idea.

"I grew up in a city called Melbourne, back on Earth," Katherine said, "I only ever knew my mother, and apparently my father left when I was took young to remember. My mother always used to tell me how much of a prick my father was and so I never got to learn much about him."  
Kynarus nodded, listening intently. He seemed to be a good listener, as most turians seemed to be. That was one trademark of their species and a good one at that.

"Living in a shitty little apartment in a tough neighbourhood didn't really appeal to me so as soon as I was old enough I left to joining the military," Katherine said, "ended up in the infantry. It wasn't too bad until I was discharged for shooting my commanding officer…"  
Kynarus looked up, giving her a strange look.

"Why'd you do that?"

Katherine shrugged. It was far too long a story for right now, which is what she ended up telling the turian.

"It's a long story," she said simply, frowning, "one I'm not too proud of either. There's a good reason as to why I did it but the higher-ups didn't think much of it and kicked me out. That's why I became a mercenary and so far I've lived a successful, if not dangerous life."

For the next few minutes the pair exchanged anecdotes and facts about their life, occasionally laughing but otherwise having a hearty conversation. They learned a fair bit about each other, Kynarus telling her about some earlier assignments he received during his early mercenary years. Katherine told him about the more notable exploits she had had during her time as a mercenary and why she was wanted by law enforcement authorities on about twelve colonized worlds.

As the conversation went on Katherine had begun to take more time to examine the feelings she had about the turian. He seemed nice enough and a good listener, two qualities that had been severely lacking in the men she had met during her time as a mercenary. The last man she had had a relationship with had turned out to be a rival mercenary and had tried to kill her after a night together in a hotel on some distant colonized planet. She was hoping that Kynarus wouldn't end up trying to kill her seeing as his employer had told her to get rid of any rivals.

The conversation's subject eventually returned to the matter at hand, Kynarus frowning when he began thinking hard about his employer. He had many doubts about the whole assignment now, some of which concerned the Alliance Colonel who had hired him.

"I doubt he's with the Alliance," Kynarus said about the Colonel that had hired him, "he called himself Colonel Sommers but I doubt he's even a Colonel. To top things off he had this weird, non-talking bodyguard with him when I went to go meet him in a club at the Citadel. Regardless the pay was good and I accepted the job.

"Now I'm here and beginning to doubt this whole assignment," he continued, shaking his head in a way which said he was finding the whole situation hard to digest, "first the Colonel won't tell me what's in the package and now when I come here I end up having to kill a bunch of synthetic human soldiers and save you. Things just keep getting more and more strange as they go on."

Katherine nodded, agreeing that things weren't adding up especially when this Colonel got involved.

"I'm thinking that we should both go take down Dieter," Kynarus said, "You can get your revenge while I can get the package and get paid. That way everyone's happy. What do you think?"  
Katherine nodded. The idea was definitely appealing but she still didn't like the idea that she would end up without a single credit while Kynarus received God-knows-how-much from his employer. She was about to complain about this when Kynarus seemed to have read her mind, speaking first.

"I'll give you some of my pay when I trade in the package for credits," Kynarus said, "that way we can both get out of this somewhat richer. Trouble is we have next to no leads to Dieter's location. He's probably off Talerian already."

Katherine could see why this was going to be hard, especially with a lack of reliable leads. As much as she wanted her revenge on Dieter she knew they would have to start looking for formidable information. No need to get started on a wild goose chase around the Talerian and probably the rest of the galaxy.

"I got the licence plate for Dieter's buggy," Kynarus said, remembering this from his quick thinking back at the courtyard, "maybe if I ran it through the police databases I might be able to find out where Dieter's located."

"Will the police even let you do that?" Katherine asked, doubtful about the idea but knowing full well it was their best chance to find Dieter.

Kynarus shook his head.

"I'll talk my way to their databases, or I'll just sneak into the police station," Kynarus said, "either way should work. You, meanwhile, should stay here until I return. You're still in no state to get up and about. Is there anything else I should know?"

Katherine felt a little annoyed at how Kynarus was telling her what she couldn't do, sounding almost like her mother. She didn't complain though, rather she swallowed her pride and nodded, agreeing to the plan.

"There's a lock on the package itself," Katherine said, remembering the look of the container and the complicated locking mechanism, "it needs a sort of keycard to open. I have no idea whether Dieter has the keycard or has the means to force it open. Maybe that should buy us some time since he might stay on Talerian until he has it open."

"You're probably right. Anyway, I should be back in an hour or two," Kynarus said, getting up, "and when I'm back, I'll have results. I hope…"

He was just about to start for the door when it opened, a man in a doctor's outfit walking inside. He was about middle-aged and balding, with greying hair and a nervous aura. He looked at the turian and then towards Katherine, smiling when he saw that the woman was wide awake and seemingly alright.

"I see you've finally woken up," the doctor said, approaching her, "I'm Dr. Hendrickson, by the way."

"She seems alright," Kynarus said, obviously referring to Katherine. Hendrickson took a look at Katherine and then at the computer monitor nearby which was displaying her vital signs, seeming to agree with Kynarus.

"She certainly is," Hendrickson said, stopping by the side of the bed and looking towards Katherine, "it's just that I don't know your name…"

"Katherine," the woman replied, frowning at the doctor's obvious nervousness when he was around the turian. She figured there had been a big ruckus when Kynarus had brought her in, bleeding and dying slowly. That would explain why the doctor seemed reluctant to get close to Kynarus, not that the turian seemed too concerned.

"I've got to get going, but I'll be back," Kynarus said, eyeing Katherine carefully before he turned around and left. As he did, Katherine managed to watch him from behind, her eyes shifting towards his backside as he left. He seemed cute enough, even if he was a turian.

"You were shot, just in case your memory isn't too clear about what happened," Hendrickson said, breaking her concentration. She turned towards the doctor, simply frowning as he began taking notes on a datapad in his hand. The doctor's grasp of the obvious was inspiring.

"I know that," Katherine said, looking down at her chest. Part of her clothes had been torn away and a set of thick bandages had been pasted onto where the bullet had entered and created a mere hole in her chest. There was no exit wound, leading her to believe that the weapon Dieter had used had been loaded with old-fashioned low velocity ammunition. Dieter Sturlmann was an avid collector of antique weapons and had never been one for the more modern, mass effect featuring weaponry. He preferred guns that fired large, deadly rounds at incredible speeds.

"Good to hear your memory hasn't been affected," Hendrickson said, finishing his note taking and managing a smile. He wasn't so nervous now that Kynarus was no longer in the room and seemed to have taken on a typical "happy doctor" mood, attempting to make the patient feel better. It wasn't working.

"If you need anything just call me in," the doctor said, "I'm sure you're feeling thirsty…"

Katherine sniffed the air, able to smell alcohol on the doctor's breath. She didn't say anything but did manage a smile, looking up at Dr. Hendrickson.

"I'll have whatever you just had," she said, smiling as the doctor gave an embarrassed expression.

* * *

The Deckar's Stand Police Department had only a single building close to the centre of the settlement. It stood out from most of the other buildings for being a dull-grey colour and having modern metal architecture. This was quite unlike the small brown wood and brick buildings that were around it which were considerably shorter than the police headquarter itself. The police headquarters would have to have been at least five storeys high, the other buildings which were mostly shopfronts were only about two.

Kynarus pulled his open-top Jeep outside the front steps of the police station, noticing the clean exterior which was quite the opposite to the other buildings. It made sense that the police here on Talerian received far too much money for their minimal amount of work, being forced to spend it on additions to the station headquarters and on better police cruisers. There were about five of these gold-trimmed cruisers parked in the small parking lot around the side of the building, police vehicles being the only vehicles permitted entry to the lot. Kynarus would have preferred to use any entrance other than the front: the front would guarantee he would be held up in the waiting room while anywhere else would get him noticed immediately. The humans had a habit of making others wait, especially in places such as these.

Kynarus had formulated a sort of "plan" on the way here: he could tell the police his suspicions about Dieter and why he was here on Talerian in the hopes that maybe the police might take notice and allow him to use their computers to help bring Dieter down. However, if this failed Kynarus would start his sneaking about, knowing full well that he was the only turian in the police station and thus would get attention wherever he went. He doubted it would be difficult to sneak in and access the police database from one of the computers inside, it was just he would try the police officers themselves first.

One thing Kynarus doubted was the efficiency and effectiveness of these officers. Crime wasn't exactly rife in Deckar's Stand and yet the colony's governing powers budgeted the police force extremely well. Now the town of Deckar's Stand had a bunch of overpaid and lazy police officers protecting its citizens. It was a wonder the place wasn't rife with criminal activity.

Kynarus stepped out of his vehicle and immediately noticed the heads of a few human pedestrians turn to look at him. It was obvious they didn't think very much of him, merely glancing at him before returning to their previous activities but keeping their distance from him nonetheless. Turians weren't particularly trusted here on Talerian and this would make his job inside the police station slightly more difficult.

Kynarus removed his holstered pistol and left it in his vehicle, preferring not to walk into the police headquarters while carrying it. Something like that was bound to cause unnecessary trouble and these human police officers probably had itchy trigger fingers.

Walking up the steps of the police station, Kynarus' mind briefly drifted back to the conversation he had had with Katherine. She wasn't at all distrustful of him because of him being a turian and it seemed the two of them had gotten along quite well, telling each other about early assignments in their mercenary careers and so forth. It was strange; Kynarus could always feel something whenever he was in her presence. It was something he had only felt with Lalias all those years ago on Hallian and for a moment he faltered where he was walking, pausing briefly as he mind wandered back to the times he and Lalias had spent together.

His train of thought was abruptly derailed when someone bumped into him, not intentionally but merely accidentally. It was one of Deckar's Stand's police officers and he only exchanged glances with the turian before continuing on his way down the steps of the police headquarters.

Kynarus continued up the last few top steps, the glass doors ahead sliding open as he approached. Beyond was a lobby and waiting area, a desk being off to one side where a pair of bored looking police officers sat and were talking. There were a few civilians seated about in the waiting area, some talking quietly while a few of the others were reading from datapads. On the walls were holo-posters which provided such wholesome information as "CARRYING A GUN REQUIRES A LICENCE" and "WORRIED FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY? STUN GUNS ARE PURCHASEABLE VIA THE HEAD DESK. JUST ASK". Kynarus approached the desk, the two officers there falling silent. One of them turned to face him, obviously surprised to see him. He glanced at something on his computer and then back towards the turian.

"Here to turn yourself in?" The policeman asked, sounding amused. Kynarus was slightly put off guard by this remark, not quite sure what the police officer was getting at.

"What do you mean?"

The policeman exchanged looks with his friends and the two of them laughed. One reached for a box on the desk and retrieved a doughnut, biting into it in between chuckles.

"There was a shooting over in the warehouse district a few hours ago and it seems some civilians saw you leaving the area last," the policeman said while chewing on his food, revealing the half-chewed doughnut chunks in all their glory, "you're wanted for questioning. I suppose you didn't know this?"

Kynarus certainly didn't. He had thought he had gotten out of the warehouse district without being spotted but it seemed he had been wrong. The way these two police officers were going about their work told him they weren't too concerned about him anyway. Kynarus figured he should just get straight to the point.

"I want to see whoever's in charge," Kynarus said, "there's more going on in this town than he might realize."

The two police officers exchanged amused glances again and began laughing. This went on for about another minute and by that time Kynarus had begun to loose his patience. These police officers were idiots and weren't even taking their job seriously, probably having been sitting at the same desk since morning with nothing better to do than to eat. No wonder they were both slightly chubby.

"Straight to the top, huh, lizard face?" The first policeman said, taking another bite from his doughnut. He chuckled, finding this idea funny. "Don't you understand? You're wanted for questioning! You can't just expect the Police Chief to be interested in what you have to say! We're cops, man; we can arrest you for anything but that doesn't mean you get to see the Police Chief…"

Kynarus could tell these police officers had let their high-up positions in society get to their heads. It was a recognizable trait of a law enforcement agency that saw little action: none of the officers had much experience and spent their time on the job screwing around.

"You know, if we actually cared we would have hand-cuffed you by now," the first policeman continued, biting from his doughnut again. "So, are you going to come quietly or do I have to pull out my tazer gun…"

Kynarus knew quite well he didn't have time for this. Reaching down with surprising speed and force he grabbed the collar of the doughnut-chewing policeman's uniform and roughly lifted him out of his chair so that he was standing up. He was now almost face-to-face with Kynarus and his expression lost that humorous quality: now he looked genuinely frightened, moist bits of doughnut falling from his mouth.

"You've got about two seconds to bring the Police Chief out here before I throw you against the wall," Kynarus said, keeping his cool but making sure his tone was an intimidating one, "I'm counting: one, two…"

The other police officer had already rang the buzzer on the desk, the Police Chief appearing in the doorway behind the desk. He was a large, dark-skinned human who lacked the fat of the other officers and had considerably more muscle. Kynarus still maintained his position of being the tallest person in the room it was just now he would have a formidable adversary if things got "physical".

Upon seeing the Police Chief, Kynarus carelessly threw the policeman he had gripped by the collar back into his seat. The force was enough for him to topple over the chair and hit the floor with a dull _thud_, the other policeman laughing at his misfortune. Ignoring the two of them Kynarus turned his full attention to the police chief who didn't look at all perturbed by this ruckus. The other people in the waiting room had been watching with some fascination as the scene had carried out, a few of the more elderly humans deciding that now was the best time to leave.

"You must be that turian responsible for the shooting over in the warehouse district," the Police Chief said casually, "not that it really matters. After all, no actual 'bodies' were found there." He seemed doubtful for a moment, as if thinking of something he couldn't quite figure out.

Kynarus kept his cool and approached the Police Chief. He was familiar with the human greeting of 'shaking hands' but found it odd how few humans were willing to shake hands with him. He didn't bother with it on this particular occasion.

"You found the synthetics?" Kynarus asked, knowing full well that the Police Chief knew what he was talking about.

"You bet we did. Now our whole department's going nuts trying to figure out where they're from before they show up again. You're the only lead we have," the Police Chief said. He gestured towards what appeared to be the door into an elevator towards the other side of the room. "Follow me to my office. We can talk about this in more detail there."

Kynarus nodded. He finally seemed to be getting someone, having gotten past the moronic lower-ranked cops and finding the Police Chief himself who seemed to be far more intelligent than the two who were sitting at the front desk eating doughnuts. Just out of curiosity Kynarus reached down and plucked one from the box, sniffing it and carefully examining it as he followed the Police Chief into the elevator.

"You sure you turians can eat that stuff?" The Police Chief asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"I'll find out, won't I?" Kynarus said, biting the strange food and finding the taste actually quite good. No wonder the humans liked this sort of thing and got fat on them: they just tasted so damn _good_…

The Police Chief pressed a couple of buttons on the panel by the elevator doors, the doors closing and the elevator starting up. It was only a few seconds before they had reached the top floor, the doors opening on a short hallway with glass windows on either side. These windows provided views of office cubicles where police men and woman sat working and conversing.

"My office is just down this hall," the Police Chief said. They started down the hallway, the officers in the surrounding cubicles turning their attention towards Kynarus as he walked by. The pair finally arrived at an old style manual wooden door with the name "HENRY LISTER" printed on it in gold letters. Kynarus assumed this was the name of the Police Chief.

The Police Chief pushed open the door and showed Kynarus to a seat inside, just in front of an old fashioned oak desk. The turian sat down, finishing off the doughnut he had been eating and feeling the urge for another. The Police Chief made his way to the swivel chair at the desk itself and sat down, eyeing Kynarus carefully as he did so.

The turian managed a look around the neat, old fashioned office. It reminded him of Captain Jakalas' office from all those years ago, back on Hallian except there was a distinct human flair about this one. There were no signs of the metal and plastic that constituted 22nd century offices, rather everything looked to be from an earlier period in human history. The cabinets on the wall that were filled with certificates and trophies of all sorts seemed to be made out of wood and glass. The carpet was a purple-brown and rather clean save for a few crumbs from Kynarus' doughnut.

The Police Chief made himself comfortable as he unearthed a datapad from one of his desk's drawers, glancing at it briefly while Kynarus sat in silence. He looked up from it and towards the turian, managing a welcoming expression.

"I'm Police Chief Henry Lister," he said, "and you're in the police headquarters of Deckar's Stand, a shitty little settlement in the ass-end of space. I'm pretty sure you already knew that, I just thought I'd clarify it…"

"Well, Police Chief, I'm afraid there's some serious criminal business going down in this, uh…_shitty_ little settlement of yours," Kynarus said, using a popular human word. It seemed these humans had all manner of colourful words to describe what they felt about something; it's just that Kynarus had never really thought of using them before.

Police Chief Lister merely shook his head, smiling as he did so. Kynarus failed to see what was so funny but once glance at the datapad was enough to make him feel a little uneasy: the Police Chief was looking up a file on Kynarus himself.

"You're Kynarus Vakarian, a turian mercenary with a known drug addiction and a taste for female turian prostitutes. Really, you think I wouldn't know who you are?" Lister seemed to find this quite funny, chuckling loudly much to Kynarus' annoyance. It seemed all the officers he had encountered so far laughed about anything.

"Hell, Vakarian, you're description is all over colonized space," Lister said, "It's just that nobody gives a shit about you. You're wanted for all sorts of crimes and for the sheer fact that you're a dirty, rotten no-good mercenary. Thing is, nobody's going to bother arresting a washout merc like you…It's just that right now, you might know something I and my officers don't. So start talking or I'll have to take you to one of our interrogation rooms…"

Kynarus didn't like the way the Police Chief knew so much about him. Sure, the turian liked a few stimulants here and there but he doubted it constituted as an "addiction". As well as that, everyone liked the company of women so what was wrong with a few so-called "prostitutes" here and there?

"For one thing, I want to know what the fuck happened over in the warehouse district this morning," Lister said, his voice taking on a more serious and angry tone, "and I want to know why the bodies we found weren't even human. Why the hell were they some sort of synthetic/organic mix, huh? Do you know why?"

Kynarus figured if he was going to get the information he needed he would have to give out some of the things he knew. That meant telling the Police Chief about the shootout at the warehouse district this morning and about Dieter Sturlmann. Throughout Kynarus' telling of the story his stomach occasionally rumbled, often for extended periods. He figured it was the doughnut but didn't think much of it, too concentrated on getting what he needed from the Police Chief.

After Kynarus had told the Police Chief about Katherine Tyler, Dieter Sturlmann and the botched meeting he was suddenly quite sure the dark-skinned human was about to explode. Police Chief Lister seemed to be able to control himself though and prevented himself from having a fit of rage.

"I ought to have your sorry turian ass arrested for the shit you and this Katherine chick brought to this town," Lister said, "and you even expect me to believe that this Shieter Hurlmann guy…"

"Dieter Sturlmann," Kynarus said, correcting Lister's mistake. It didn't seem to make the Police Chief any happier, though.

"Dieter, whatever the fuck his name is," the Police Chief continued, "yeah, well you expect me to believe that Dieter Sturlmann, the CEO of one of the most powerful Earth-based corporations in existence, is here in Deckar's Stand with an army of fucking androids?! Who the fuck do you take me for, huh?!"

It occurred to Kynarus that the Police Chief was yelling. The turian sat quietly, letting the Police Chief yell his heart out (figuratively speaking) and waiting for the Chief to calm down a little. He eventually did, using all manner of expletives in his fit of yelling although most of what he was yelling wasn't making much sense.

"I can't arrest you, there ain't enough supporting evidence," Lister said, "but if I ever find you causing trouble here in Deckar's Stand again I swear, I will FUCK YOU UP, do you understand me you lizard-faced asshole?"

It was Kynarus' turn to smile. He nodded in response, finding the Police Chief's sheer anger quite amusing. It seemed he had had a detrimental effect on the Police Chief's state of mind, not that it really mattered anyway. These cops didn't seem to do very much at all.

"Can I use one of your computers?" Kynarus asked, "I've got something I want to look up."

Lister eyed him carefully once more, unable to trust the turian after what he had just told him. His day had gotten considerably more complicated ever since this turian had showed up, first with a shootout and a bunch of bodies being found at the old warehouse district and now having been followed with the bullshit the turian was feeding him.

"Do what you want," Lister said, "just as long as you don't start feeding me more bullshit. Sure, there might be some 'dead' androids but I can easily pin the whole thing on you if you do this sort of thing again. I mean, seriously, who the hell do you think you are? Do you think you're John-fucking-Wayne, rolling into town and shooting the place up?"

Kynarus simply stood up from his chair, trying his best to ignore the Police Chief's ramblings. He had no idea who this "John-fucking-Wayne" character was and wasn't about to ask either.

"If you cause more trouble in this town I am going to make sure you wished you were dead, alright?" The Police Chief continued shouting angrily at Kynarus as the turian turned around and left the office. His shouting could still be heard from the end of the hall as the turian found his way to one of the many computers inside the offices. To make sure he was being heard the Police Chief had stepped out of his office and was pointing an accusing finger at Kynarus.

"Don't you ever disturb the peace in this town again, do you understand me? I don't care if you're fighting an army of fucking ninjas: you're the one who starts the trouble and you're the one who's going to be arrested."

Kynarus ignored the yelling of the Police Chief and the fact that all the other police officers were watching him. Rather, Kynarus sat himself down in front of one of the computers and followed the prompts to access the headquarters' database. It was easy enough, even an idiot could do it.

"Oh yeah, and tell that Katherine woman that she should leave town by the end of today! Same goes with you, turian asshole!" This last bout of yelling was followed by the sound of a manually operated door slamming shut.

Kynarus, unlike the Police Chief, was quite calm and feeling quite pleased with himself. He had just located the information he had been after in the database and so took a few notes on his personal datapad before switching off the computer and getting up, starting for the elevator. It wasn't even lunchtime and already Kynarus had managed to kill some synthetics, save a young human woman's life, piss off a police chief and find out Dieter Sturlmann's location! He was beginning to wonder what could possibly happen after lunch.


	11. Shoulder of Orion

**Location: **Deckar's Stand, Talerian

Katherine Tyler had taken it upon herself to see the extent of her injuries, peeling away the thick bandage that was over her chest wound and peering at the surprisingly small but bloody hole. She wondered briefly what sort of weapon could have caused such an injury, only to remember the quite clear image of Dieter Sturlmann drawing his gun and smiling while he did it. The gun had looked to be an old model slug-thrower pistol, the type that had been common in the twentieth century. Such old weapons were still more than capable of blowing a hole in someone; Katherine just had to look at her chest to prove this.

One thing Katherine had done after Kynarus had left was get up and put on her brown-red jacket. The jacket itself had faded in colour over time but it still looked alright and was most definitely her favourite piece of attire. Now there was a jagged hole in one part of the chest section but such a thing was easily fixed. Contrary to what that Doctor Hendrickson guy had said Katherine had decided to see whether or not she had the energy to actually get up and walk around. She felt energetic enough although the bullet wound itself would throb painfully every now and then but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She grabbed her jacket from the nearby bench and put it on, not bothering to zip it up since such a thing wasn't necessary. Unlike outside, the inside of the medical clinic was rather warm but not too warm to become hot. The climate control systems seemed to be running smoothly in helping to create an environment of a reasonable temperature.

Katherine carefully moved her legs off of the bed, placing her feet on the floor and gradually standing up. She was surprised to find she wasn't falling over herself, able to stand and move with about as much ease as she usually could.

Her request earlier for whatever the doctor had been drinking which had given him an alcoholic smelling breath had been cheerfully denied, not that she cared too much. Dr. Hendrickson himself hadn't seemed to be helping her much, merely keeping tabs on her condition and having left a little embarrassed after her request for whatever drink he had been having. It was quite obvious that the turian, Kynarus, had done most of the work in keeping her alive especially when the doctor had mentioned that the turian had seemed to have "everything under control".

It felt strange knowing that someone you barely knew had saved your life. Katherine thought about this for a short while, trying to figure out why anyone would bother. She was a mercenary after all and it wasn't like very many people cared much about mercenaries, most thinking that they deserved to be thrown in prison. Katherine had so far managed to avoid the law enforcement agencies that were after her, often coming close to capture but always managing to escape. One thing she didn't want was to be thrown into prison and be forced to live out the rest of her life wandering from one side of her cell to another. That was one life she wanted to avoid.

Kynarus Vakarian was the name of the turian that had saved her, apparently a mercenary like her who had been after the "package". This "package" seemed to be more than just something Dieter had been interested in since whoever had hired Kynarus seemed to want it just as badly. Now both she and Kynarus' jobs had been made more complicated by the fact that Dieter had escaped with the "package" and was probably on the assumption that she was dead. If he found out she was still alive he might send more goons to silence here which was something she wasn't looking forward to.

She didn't care about the "package" and what its contents were. Rather, she just wanted to get rid of Dieter one way or another, this "way" probably involving killing him and throwing his body off a pier or something. The crazy deserved that much for the trouble he had started, deciding that paying her was too much trouble and so shooting her instead. Whenever an employer tried offing her she usually killed them first, this time being the first and only exception she would allow. She had a reputation to protect anyway, although she was doubtful that she had ever faced an opponent as powerful ad Dieter Sturlmann. The Austrian was in charge of one of the most powerful Earth-based corporations in existence and had an army of loyal "goons" at his disposal. These "goons", according to Kynarus, had been mere synthetics with some artificially created flesh to top things off. This had been one thing she had never thought about but made sense when she put her mind to it for a while.

Kynarus Vakarian had seemed nice enough, just another young turian who thought he could do as he pleased. He had also been a good listener when they had exchanged stories for a while before he had left, laughing with her and proving himself to be someone who had some experience with women. Of course she doubted human women were his specialty.

Kynarus had told her he had left for the local police headquarters in an attempt to find leads on Dieter's whereabouts. Somehow she doubted he would find much there, someone like Dieter was probably intelligent enough to cover his tracks. Still, there was always a chance that there would be some useful information to be found.

There had been something bugging her mind ever since Kynarus had left. It was a simple enough feeling, one that she didn't feel too often but when she did it was usually when she had met someone she liked. It had been long enough since the last time she had felt this but what struck her was why she had felt it now and could still feel it. She knew it was because of Kynarus and his rather casual but likeable personality but she couldn't really see why this should be the case.

Kynarus Vakarian was a turian, a member of the raptor-like species who had one of the most powerful fleets in Citadel space. Kynarus himself was a young male turian, someone who had fallen into the job of being a mercenary after some obviously rough moments in his life. He seemed nice enough, about on the same personality level as Katherine. If he had been human maybe Katherine could have seen something more of a friendship developing between them but since Kynarus was a turian she simply couldn't see this happening. Human and turian relationships never went past the friends stage and probably with good enough reason, since neither species trusted the other.

She found it strange that she was standing by the door thinking about a turian she had only just met. It wasn't something she had ever really done before, especially when it concerned a _turian_. God only knew what Kynarus was thinking although it was obvious that he was feeling the same way, perhaps more so.

_He had come back for me rather than go for Dieter_, she thought. This was what Kynarus had told her and she couldn't see any reason why he would have lied about such a thing. He had let Dieter escape to come back for her which was saying something of what the turian thought about her. Perhaps there was simply more there than a mere friendship forming.

Katherine, feeling that she was able to move quite easily without her chest wound providing much discomfort, started through the door which slid open as she approached. Entering the corridor, she made her way to the forward waiting room and found the place vacant of living people save for the young, blonde-haired woman sitting at the front desk. She was obviously the receptionist, stuck working in such a dull inactive environment and doing the doctor's paperwork. As Katherine approached she saw the receptionist was wearing a name badge with the name SALLY printed on it in large letters. The receptionist looked up as Katherine walked over, seeming to give a relieved expression.

"You were close to dying!" Sally exclaimed suddenly, "that turian who brought you in, he seemed pretty distraught by the thought. Just so you know…"  
Katherine simply nodded, managing to give an unsure expression when she noticed how loud Sally had begun speaking.

"Okay…I guess that makes me feel a little better…" Katherine could tell Sally wasn't exactly the type of person who had the brightest mind in existence. _No wonder she's a receptionist, _Katherine thought with a slight grin.

"The doctor said you should stay in your bed," Sally said, "you were shot, after all…"

"I feel fine," Katherine said, although this wasn't too close to the truth. In fact she could feel the pain in her chest wound gradually increasing before subsiding suddenly, returning again a short time later. She also felt a little light-headed, probably from all the painkillers she had been filled with during her time on the operating table.

"You sure? You do look a little pale," Sally said, "and the doctor did say you should be taking it easy."

Katherine frowned; she was finding herself to be getting more annoyed at the conversation wore on. To make things even more complicated, Dr. Hendrickson himself appeared in the hallway with a datasheet on a clipboard under one arm. He looked at Katherine and seemed to regard her with some curiosity since he hadn't been expecting her to get up and start walking around.

"Katherine, you should be in bed," Hendrickson said, speaking in a typical doctor-to-patient tone. He was attempting to make it out that the doctor was always right and that the patient should listen, something which plenty of doctors did. Katherine was far from listening though. In fact, she was quite adamant that she would be fine and she did feel a little hungry. Something to eat, preferably from someone outside of the clinic, was an appealing idea.

"I feel fine," she said again. She found it a little difficult to focus on the doctor for a few seconds before her senses finally regained their usual clarity. The expression the doctor was giving her, one that more or less said she ought to be listening to him was enough to make her feel even more annoyed.

"Really, I think you should get back in your bed," Hendrickson said, "bed-rest will help you recover most of your strength. And those painkillers flowing through you are probably making you feel a little light-headed."

Katherine shook her head, starting for the doors. She had had enough of being stuck in a bed for most of her day, preferring to take her chances out in the streets of Deckar's Stand. Besides, she felt healthy enough to move about on her own accord. She hated it when other people started making out they knew what was best for her.

"Where are you going?" Hendrickson asked, standing his ground but giving a surprised glance towards Katherine, "you're not seriously intent on leaving now are you?"

"I'm going to get something to eat," Katherine said, the glass doors sliding open as she approached them, "I'll be back in an hour."

Hendrickson started pacing towards her but he stopped when Katherine shot him an angered look, one that was enough to make the doctor keep his distance. He did watch with some annoyance as she started outside and onto the sidewalk, getting a few strange glances from some pedestrians as she went.

"Just make sure you come back!" Hendrickson shouted from the clinic's entrance, "The last thing I need is for you to get hit by a car or something! I'll lose my job!"

"Blow me," Katherine muttered under her breath, turning left once she reached the sidewalk and starting past a few different shopfronts. Most were simply stores specializing in all sorts of goods, from a florist to a grungier looking gun shop. The gun shop was surprisingly empty save for the lone store owner who stood behind the counter, polishing a shotgun while he waited for customers.

This area of Deckar's Stand was less dense than the central district, these outskirt regions being close to the warehouse district which from what Katherine could see was overflowing with police officer. There were a set of warehouses further down the street behind her and even from here she could see the police cruisers parked out front, the officers milling about while the forensics people went searching for evidence. A shooting in a small settlement such as this didn't go unnoticed, especially when shootings weren't very common here. She was surprised the police hadn't gone to seek her out although it made sense that they didn't know about her involvement with the shooting.

The more common type of building in this area was the single storey suburban house, their gardens looking far better than the buildings themselves. People here had tried their best to put some green in a depressing sea of brown and most had succeeded but as a consequence their houses were looking especially brown and dilapidated. It probably wasn't same on the inside but exterior looks could easily ward off potential visitors if they weren't all that good. It occurred to Katherine how much of a shitty settlement she had found herself in, surrounded by people who were quite obviously against strangers in their midst. She ignored their suspicious glances and found her way to a modest looking diner on the corner of the street, making her way inside and finding the place to be occupied by a few groups who eyed her closely as she entered.

Sitting herself down at the counter she got the attention of the waitress there, ordering a large chocolate sundae just because she felt like it. While she waited for her food to arrive she began thinking about something that hadn't quite occurred to her. She was thinking that if she kept walking around the streets and eating in public places here in Deckar's Stand there was a chance that maybe Dieter and his goons might find out about her actually being alive. She didn't care much though when she thought about it, making sure that her pistol was holstered at her waist and attempting to keep her guard up. Keeping her guard up would be difficult seeing as her senses were playing up thanks to the painkilling drugs that had been pumped into her.

About five minutes later her sundae arrived, a rather large affair with chocolate and cream. She was just about to start eating when a young man with dark hair sat down to her left, eyeing her closely and with some noticeable attraction.

"Hey, I never seen you round here before," the man said in a tone which indicated he was trying to play it cool, "maybe I could buy you a drink?"

"Fuck off," Katherine said simply, having heard it all before. She was constantly getting harassed by men whenever she decided to eat out by herself which was understandable but downright annoying. The man simply laughed at her negative attitude.

"Calm down sister, I was just trying to talk," the man said. He looked young, maybe in his late twenties or early thirties. He had blue eyes and well-chiselled features but right now Katherine wasn't interested. She couldn't stop thinking about Kynarus Vakarian, the turian who had saved her life and the disservice she would be doing him if she got involved with other men.

"You try talking with a hole in your throat," Katherine said, pulling out her pistol and pressing it against the man's neck. His smile disappeared and he began whimpering quietly, Katherine realizing that all heads in the diner had turned towards her. She lowered the pistol, having had the desired effect when the man got up and hurried out of the store. She holstered the weapon and resumed eating her chocolate sundae, ignoring the looks she was getting from the other patrons and the hushed conversations that had started around her.

Katherine's mind wandered back to Kynarus once again. Within minutes she had slammed a fist on the table, annoyed with herself because she couldn't stop thinking about him. The loud slamming noise got the attention of the other diner patrons once again but this attention was fairly short lived, the patrons returning to their own meals seconds later.

Kynarus was a turian for Christ's sake! A _turian_! Why the hell couldn't she take her mind off of him? It occurred to her that maybe there was definitely more than just a friendship forming between them and she was uncertain of where it would all lead. Besides, there had always been something about turians she had found sort of attractive. She didn't know what Kynarus thought of her but she was certain enough it was the same sort of thing that she was thinking…

* * *

Hermann Holst was the man in charge of the Biotics branch of Dieter's private military, being in charge of all the hired soldiers who had access to these special and powerful abilities. Hermann was about forty-one years old and had dark hair, cut down to a sort of buzz-cut. He was German and was ranked very highly in the Zahni Corporation and was often found training the soldiers who worked for the corporation in the use of biotic abilities.

It had been long ago, while his mother had still been pregnant with him when an unfortunate accident had occurred and as an unborn child had been exposed to element zero. He had developed biotic abilities as a result which had developed more and more over time, allowing him to do all sorts of things. His abilities were considered far more advanced than those of regular biotics but he never really thought much of it, preferring his job in the corporation which allowed him to further his abilities. He was permitted to use them whenever he felt like it, especially when it involved attempting to get rid of rivals.

Here on Talerian he and several others, along with a whole contingent of synthetic soldiers, had arrived to aid Dieter in his mission to find a certain container. From what had happened today it seemed that mission had been successful although not as successful as Dieter Sturlmann may have hoped for: now they were stuck trying to get the lock on the container open which was proving to be more of a hassle than anything else.

About twenty minutes ago Dieter had left to buy lunch for himself and everyone else and in that time Hermann had been stuck in the company of the krogan Dieter had hired, putting the krogan in charge of the synthetics whenever Dieter wasn't around. As well as the krogan there was Francis Darian, some young engineer-type guy who was sitting at the desk in the next room with a plasma torch and set of screwdrivers. He was attempting t open the container and had been at it ever since Dieter had brought it back some hours ago from what Dieter had said had been a bit of a "botched meeting". Dieter had never been intending to pay the mercenary they had hired to get the "package" for them, Dieter preferring to simply shoot the mercenary and take the package. Things would have run smoothly enough if it hadn't have been for the interloper who opened fire seconds later. Dieter had been forced to make an escape, forced to confront the interloper (who was apparently a turian) and ward him off by telling him that the mercenary who had been shot might still be alive. As Dieter had guessed the turian's conscience had prevailed, allowing Dieter to escape with the package while the turian went t help the mercenary.

This had been in the early hours of the morning when this region of Talerian had been close to five degrees Celsius. Now, as the day wore on, it was beginning to warm up slowly but surely. Here in the spaceport the climate control had been providing an environment of reasonable temperature but now that the outside was warming up the inside here was beginning to feel a bit hot.

To help pass the time away Hermann had resorted to reading the magazines lying scattered around the offices here left behind by the last occupants of the spaceport. Most were in the from of old fashioned paper ones although there were a few datapad ones lying around as well, along with a crate of empty beer bottles and a copy of an encyclopaedia which was in datapad form.

The krogan, meanwhile, was standing at the other side of the room and had begun using his biotic abilities to lift a few of the bottles to a suitable height before launching them against the far wall with incredible force. The bottles smashed on contact, littering the floor beneath with shards of broken glass. This seemingly pointless exercise was beginning to get on Hermann's nerves but he wasn't about to say anything, preferring not to upset the big reptilian krogan.

This krogan was outfitted in a dark suit of regulation corporation armour, custom-fitted for the krogan's large and bulky frame. The krogan's skin was a yellow-brown, a scar down one side of his face indicating he had been in a number of tough scrapes. The big reptile had large red eyes, creating a large and imposing figure that Hermann didn't feel like angering. This particular krogan answered to the name of Kalax. Hermann wondered why Dieter had bothered hiring such an unruly soldier but apparently it was because Dieter had wanted some other "work" to be done in a fashion that brought them little attention: no one would be expecting a krogan to be working for a human corporation. Of course, the krogan's pay was good enough to keep him on the job.

After another bottle was smashed Hermann finally found himself fed up with the noise and the mess it was creating, looking up from the datapad in his hands and shooting the krogan an annoyed look.

"Could you stop that?" Hermann said, "it's getting on my nerves…"

Kalax ignored him completely, launching another empty bottle again and seeming to take some pleasure when he saw it smash against the far wall. Hermann stood up, throwing down the datapad and pointing an accusing finger towards the krogan. He didn't care too much about angering the reptile; rather he thought it would make a good story to tell the others.

"Listen to me you fucking lizard," Hermann said angrily, the krogan turning its head towards him with only detached interest, "ever since Dieter hired you you've been nothing but trouble. You ought to consider yourself lucky to have been chosen; otherwise you would still be on the bottom of the mercenary pecking order while getting shit pay…"

The krogan replied by launching a bottle in Hermann's direction, blue ripples of energy flowing from the krogan as he did so. Hermann reacted quickly, tapping into his abilities and gripping the bottle in a competing biotic field. This tug of war continued for a few minutes, either side straining to push it towards their opponent. Neither side gained much ground, especially when an unexpected but familiar figure stepped into the office with a few plastic bags gripped in his hands.

"Can't you two just get along?" Dieter asked, dumping the bags of take away food on the desk. Both Kalax and Hermann let the bottle go, letting it smash loudly on the carpeted floor. They both shot each other intimidating glances but otherwise they didn't say anything to one another.

Hermann turned to Dieter, watching as his boss rummaged through the bags of food and retrieved a few items wrapped in paper.

"Okay, I got some tacos this time," Dieter said, handing one to Hermann and one to the krogan, "I don't know if they're any good but I guess there's only one way to find out." He frowned, noticing the mess of glass shards on the floor by the far wall.

"What have you two been doing?" He asked, frowning, "it looks like you've been trying to destroy the office…"

"He did it," Hermann said, pointing towards the krogan. Dieter merely smiled, he didn't really care who had done it. Instead, he began to unwrap the taco that he held in his hands and took a bite into the mess of meat, sauce and vegetables. Several chunks of what appeared to be tomato fell out the other side and splattered onto the carpet.

"_Schieße!_" He exclaimed while looking down to see if any had gotten onto his jacket. He didn't care too much about the floor though, sitting himself down at the desk and continuing to bite into the warm taco.

"Say, boss, when we getting off this rock?" The krogan asked, eyeing the wrapped taco he held in one hand with some suspicion. Human food wasn't exactly something that appealed to the krogan.

Dieter looked up, chewing thoroughly on whatever he had in his mouth before swallowing.

"Sorry?"

"I said when are we getting off this planet? I'm getting sick of all this waiting around…"

Dieter reached into one of the plastic bags, retrieving a napkin and a can of soda. He frowned, thinking about the krogan's question for a moment before answering.

"When Francis gets the damn package open, then we leave," Dieter replied, flipping the ring on the can of soda. It opened the can with a loud but short _hiss_ of air and gases before falling silent. Dieter put the can to his lips and started drinking, taking bites of his taco every now and then.

"How long's that gonna be?" Kalax asked, beginning to take the wrapping off of the taco although he did this with some uncertainty, "I don't think I can spend much longer with Hermann without killing him."

Hermann didn't say anything to this, rather he and the krogan exchanged dirty looks. Dieter ignored the two's obvious dislike of one another, knowing full well that in this line of work they had no time for such petty quarrels. Rather, they should be working as a team to help further the goals Dieter had in mind for the corporation.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Dieter asked, surprised when the krogan did call towards the office. Francis replied, sounding awfully annoyed at the interruption but otherwise continuing his work on getting the package open.

"I'll be an hour or more," Francis said, "I'm close to getting it but not quite close enough."

Kalax didn't seem happy with the answer, swearing quietly under his breath. He looked down at the taco Dieter had given him, prodding it with one finger uncertainly. It seemed that this particular krogan wasn't familiar with human foods. Dieter smiled with some amusement when he saw this but kept eating anyway.

Hermann had started on his, noticing that the taco he had was still quite warm. He wasn't quite sure what was in it although he could see chunks of meat, some sort of spicy sauce and chunks of differing vegetables mashed up within the taco shell. He eyed the krogan ahead with some dislike, unable to bring himself to trust such a creature. Dieter seemed to like Kalax and the effective work he had been doing for them but this wasn't able to sway Hermann Holst into trusting the surly krogan.

Hermann glanced through the doorway at the other side of the office which looked into the smaller office where Francis was working. Francis himself was seated at the desk and was still fiddling with the lock on the "package", having removed its main panel and begun fiddling with its interior circuitry with some pliers and a screwdriver. Francis was the type of person that once involved in such work it would be unwise to interrupt him since he had quite the temper. Hermann was sort of hoping Francis would be done soon considering the less time they spent here the better. The police were apparently cleaning up the part of the warehouse district where Dieter had met the mercenary he had hired and there was a good chance the police could discover their involvement in it.

Dieter had decided that they would be better off hiring a minor-league mercenary to get what he wanted since that way it would draw far less attention to the Corporation. Dieter had chosen to meet with this mercenary himself which had been a grave enough risk since that could draw unnecessary attention but despite what everyone had been saying, Dieter had insisted he would have to make sure it was the right item. It apparently was from what they could tell but one thing that had struck Heinrich strange was how coy Dieter was being whenever asked about what was inside.

Hermann was further worried when he had heard local police reports about them finding "dead synthetics". Dieter and the others had certainly realized it was risky bringing some synthetic soldiers to Talerian as backup but it would have helped further prove their effectiveness. They had done well during the raid on Klensal which had been their first proper operation. Dieter was confident the synthetic soldiers would do well if anything went wrong during their time here on Talerian but it seemed that they hadn't done well enough: a whole bunch had been killed by this "interloper" Dieter had mentioned several times after his return with the package. He refused to tell them the exact details of the interloper, preferring to order the synthetics soldiers dotted around the spaceport and inside the offices to be on the lookout for any suspicious types.

Dieter, by now, had finished his taco and so stood up; discarding his rubbish into the nearby bin while he started on finishing his can of soda. Standing nearby was the krogan who had just decided to take an uncertain bite into the taco before eating the thing whole. Hermann was just cleaning up the mess of sauce and vegetables he had made on the desk when Dieter made his way past him and into the room Francis was working in.

Hermann had always noticed the odd little perks and flaws that Dieter had. Such perks included his uncanny senses, Dieter often able to notice things that other people wouldn't. He had excellent marksmanship with any weapon he was given and also had a liking for old-fashioned magazine-loading weapons such as the silver Colt pistol he carried with him at all times. He kept the weapon shiny and clean, having had it since he was old enough to hold a gun. The pistol itself even had a pearl handle engraved with the family name which may explain why it was of such value to Dieter.

Such flaws about Dieter Sturlmann included his mood swings and his impatience which often came about at unexpected times. It was no hidden fact that Dieter was slightly mentally unstable which had led many to question how he had come into possession of a powerful corporation. There were no doubts that he was an excellent businessman though, which may explain why the corporation was so powerful.

"Francis, I don't want to spend any longer here than I have to. I want that thing open within the next thirty minutes, do you understand?"

Francis looked up while lifting the eyepiece he was wearing up and away from his right eye. He frowned, a little annoyed at the interruption but knowing better than to have a temper tantrum against Dieter.

"I'm trying my best boss, but it's a complicated mechanism," Francis said, "It requires a keycard and a key. The key is to be turned a specific direction at the same time the keycard is entered. It is one of the most refined and difficult locks I've ever had to try and crack."

Dieter nodded but didn't seem too interested in the details. Instead he reached down and grabbed the handle of the package, picking it up much to Francis' surprise.

"What are you doing? You'll damage the lock!"

Dieter ignored him, instead grabbing one of the small screwdrivers that Francis had scattered across the desk. He jabbed at the complicated circuitry and wires, pulling a few away from where they were connected. There was a _beep_ from the lock but yet nothing happened.

"Really Francis, we'd be better if we just shot the lock off!" Dieter exclaimed, throwing the container towards the wall with considerable force. There was a loud thump as it collided with the wall; the lock broke easily thanks to Dieter's fiddling with it. The container fell open and clattered onto the floor, Dieter and Francis looking towards it expectantly.

It was the lack of material inside the container that made Dieter suddenly felt very angry indeed. Stepping towards it with sudden ferocity, he bent down and opened the container up entirely, swivelling it so that its bottom half was facing him. Inside was nothing but the interior black foam lining and two bricks. Taped right in the centre of the mostly empty container was a small piece of white paper; Dieter reached down and plucked it from the inside of the container, holding it up and reading what was written upon it.

"Fucking bastards!" He shouted, throwing the piece of paper onto the flor and standing up. The note itself was written in dark black marker and read, in a rather confident self-proclaiming fashion, this simple message: SORRY ASSHOLES, YOUR SINCERELY: CERBERUS.

"What is it?" Francis said while frowning when he noticed the container was empty. Dieter didn't even look at him; instead he started for the doorway but did mutter one word before he was out of the office.

"Cerberus."

* * *

Kynarus Vakarian had left the police headquarters building some time ago, taking his buggy straight to where the police database had pointed him towards. So far he couldn't help but think that Police Chief Lister had something against him but then again Kynarus had never gotten along well with law enforcement figures. Mercenaries and cops never really got along well.

The police database had managed to give him a lead to Dieter's possible whereabouts after he had punched in the licence plate number on the vehicle Dieter had used to make his escape. The databases had mentioned that the vehicle with that licence plate number was in fact a hired vehicle, in possession of someone whose current address was a small spaceport on the northern outskirts of Deckar's Stand. This had been as good as any lead for Kynarus and he had set off immediately, being sure to keep his pistol in its holster in case he ran into any trouble.

There had been a number of things on the turian's mind ever since he had left the medical clinic. The most important to him was the fact he couldn't get Katherine off of his mind: he had saved her life but it was strange, he couldn't quite work out why he would have even bothered. He had hardly known her before she had woken up after being shot and taken to the clinic. Now they knew quite a bit about each other save for the more painful experiences that Kynarus preferred to keep to himself.

There was something else between them, something that reminded him of when he had met Lalias. It was that feeling, the indescribable feeling of…love, maybe? Could it actually be that he had fallen in love with a human female? It was hard to tell at this point, he wasn't even sure of it himself. Whatever was developing between them was probably more than just a friendship, he could see that much. If he could bring himself to actually love another woman after what had happened to Lalias than maybe he wasn't such a "washout" after all…

Kynarus slammed hard on his vehicle's brakes, realizing that he had driven right past the address he had jotted down on his datapad. Pulling over to the side of the road, he put the buggy into reverse until he was right at the driveway that leads to the large spaceport. The building itself was built around the dock and looked to be the type of building that hadn't seen good use for several years. The paint on the outside was peeling away and completely missing in sections while several of the windows had been boarded up, lacking the actual glass sheets that made up most windows.

The building was a few stories tall, a few doors here and there leading to its ground floor. Some larger garage-style doors lead straight into the dock behind the building as well as the driveway that went right around the complex. The driveway itself was lined with overgrown garden beds, a sign protruding out of the mess of weeds and long grass which read 'KELLEY'S IMPORT/EXPORT since 2155' and underneath that the words 'DOCKING BAY 7A'. Kynarus doubted the original import/export company who had once owned this spaceport was still in business, having long moved off-world according to the files Kynarus had found in the police databases. All that was left was a seemingly abandoned set of offices and a docking bay which was being leased to anyone who was interested. That was if those who were interested wanted to operate in such a dilapidated old building.

Apparently someone had bought the lease according to the police databases were correct. From outside it still looked abandoned, left to rot in the cool Talerian sunshine but Kynarus was certain there was something going on behind the scenes. The facts spoke for themselves, the database having mentioned the fact that a frigate had parked itself in the docking bay recently.

Kynarus climbed out of his open-top vehicle and started towards the door up ahead. It was only until he was close did he see that this door had been boarded up, along with the other few that were on this side of the building. Unfazed, Kynarus started around the other side of the grey office complex. He eventually rounded to the rear of the structure and into a sort of parking lot, empty with cracked cement and fading signs which displayed the amount of hours one could park here without incurring a fine.

On the rear side of the building was a set of manually operated wooden doors. Standing by them were two men, outfitted in common grey-brown suits of armour and looking quite bored with themselves. They eyed Kynarus suspiciously as he approached and the turian could tell they were probably being hired to merely guard the door.

"Hold it right there," the one on the left said, his hand going for his sidearm, "what are you doing here?"

"I've come to see Dieter," Kynarus said casually. His best bet was to talk his way past these two; they were obviously not too into their jobs and could probably be easily reasoned with. If Dieter was here he was probably cutting costs by hiring cheap rent-a-cops like these two.

The guards exchanged glances, Kynarus able to tell they were a bit ruffled by the fact that Kynarus had just mentioned their boss's name. The first one returned his gaze towards the turian, frowning behind his helmet's visor.

"Never heard of him," the guard said with some strained confidence. Kynarus wasn't put off by this response; in fact he had been expecting something quite like it.

"You know, Dieter Sturlmann? He's the crazy human guy with blonde hair?" Kynarus thought he would humour the two guards and see how he went; otherwise he might need to remove them from his way somehow. His mind was already developing a method on how.

The two guards exchanged glances again, this time they were both looking a little nervous. The first guard turned back towards Kynarus, his frown changing to a look of annoyance.

"Who wants to see him?" The guard asked, his hand tightening on the butt of his pistol. Kynarus noticed this and took a short step closer towards the guards, half-expecting them to draw their weapons but quite surprisingly they didn't. They were both still unsure of this unexpected turian visitor and were probably trying to figure out why he was here and attempting to gain access to an apparently abandoned building.

"Names are for friends," Kynarus said with a smile, "that's why I don't need one."

Without giving a chance for the guards to react, Kynarus reached out and grabbed the right arm of the first guard. With the guard taken by surprise Kynarus simply swung him to the side, sending him hurtling into the other guard. The pair went tumbling into a heap on the ground; one of them had his face hit a rock. He went out cold while the other began getting up, about to reach for the pistol in his waist holster. Kynarus didn't give him a chance to draw the weapon, simply bending his knees so he was level with the guard and grabbing the rent-a-cop in a headlock. It was a standard sleeper-hold, all Kynarus had to do was move a little and the guard fell unconscious.

Once the two guards were out of the way and probably not liable for a return to being in his way anytime soon, Kynarus started for the door and pushed one of the double-doors open. Behind it was a short hallway which went straight ahead as well as another heading off to his right. He considered his options for a moment, taking note of how the blue wallpaper was slowly peeling away and how much random junk littered the floor. Such things could be use to determine whether or not he had been in a particular section or not, helping him find his way around.

Starting inside, he figured that Dieter and any of his friends would be up in one of the offices. This ground floor consisted of what appeared to be the storage areas and so forth. Pulling out his pistol and gripping it tightly in his right hand Kynarus started down the hallway, his feet crunching loudly on the broken glass and assorted other rubbish that littered the floor.

He passed a few vacant rooms, their contents long since cleared out when the original owners of the building and its adjoining docking bay had left. In some were boarded up windows which provided a partially obscured view of the docking bay beyond, Kynarus stopping by one and peering through a large gap in between some of the wooden boards.

The docking bay took up most of the space outside, a complex set of metal walkways about halfway up the height of the building. The frigate that had apparently parked itself here was in plain view, held in place by docking cables and a few airlock tubes. Several of the dark armour-clad synthetic soldiers patrolled the walkways and floor outside while several human officers in grey and black uniforms supervised other humans, some dressed in the bright yellow-orange outfits of typical maintenance workers.

The frigate was large for a ship of its type and took up most of the room in the docking bay. It had a grey-blue paintjob and the words ZAHNI CORPORATION were painted on one side. Underneath this was the obvious title for the ship, having been given the rather fancy sounding name of _Shoulder of Orion_. It looked to be an advanced and heavily customized ship, rocket pods and plasma tubes visible within its wings and on its underbelly. From what Kynarus could see there were a number of large metal containers being loaded into the rear of ship by some of the maintenance workers while an authoritative looking officer watched them closely. Whatever was going on here looked important enough to mess up, something which Kynarus was planning on doing.

The sounds of coordinated footsteps could be heard in the hallway behind him. Kynarus ducked behind the wall by the doorway, the pair of armour-clad synthetic soldiers marching right past and continuing down the hallway before turning the corner before the door Kynarus had used to get inside.

Once the pair of synthetic soldiers had gone Kynarus had exited the vacant room and into the corridor, following it to the very end where it broke off to the left. At the corner was a door leading into a stairwell, Kynarus checking the hallway around the corner was clear before continuing.

There was a lone officer standing at the end of the hallway here, leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth. He puffed on it before blowing smoke from his mouth, his gaze focused on nothing in particular. He didn't notice Kynarus go past the corner and into the stairwell in the very far corner of his vision.

Kynarus started up the stairs, taking it slowly and backing up the stairs so he could see if there was anybody waiting for him above. There wasn't so he continued up the stairwell until he had reached the top floor, just under the rooftop level. Here is where a lot of the activity seemed to be taking place from what he could hear, the shouts of what sounded like a bunch of arguing men audible from the hallway outside.

Pushing open the door slowly and wincing as it creaked loudly, he stepped out into the corridor. He found the interior up on this floor was less riddled with junk and had blue wallpaper which wasn't peeling away. Kynarus peeked either way, seeing a human officer in one of the grey-black uniforms standing at the end to his right. That officer walked away and out of sight a few seconds later, Kynarus slowly stepping into the corridor and heading in the direction of the arguing.

He came to a doorway leading into a few open rooms, most filled with office cubicles with thins separating walls that had been knocked down. Most of the desks were dirty and some had even been flipped onto their sides, emptied of anything of value by past thieves. Computer monitors were either smashed or gone while several non-working datapads littered the floors.

Kynarus stopped here, ducking behind an overturned desk and a separating wall that still stood upright. Through the doorway ahead he could hear yelling in a voice that sounded surprisingly familiar. This yelling was occasionally interrupted by the voices of other men with voices he couldn't recognize, having never heard them before. He could easily just walk into the room where all the yelling was originating from but he thought it would be better if he just sat tight and listened.

"…fucking Cerberus assholes! They think they can just fuck me around like this!" This voice belonged to Dieter, there was no doubt about that. Kynarus recognized it easily and couldn't help but smile when he could hear how angry the man had gotten.

"Do you think they have the real package?" This voice was from a much calmer sounding man who shared the same sort of accent as Dieter. Kynarus had no idea who this was but would probably find out soon enough.

"If they do I'm going to fuck them right up!" Dieter was shouting at the top of his voice, Kynarus catching a glimpse of him as he waltzed past the doorway while punching a nearby wall with his right hand. There was a dull _thump_ when this happened.

Kynarus' curiosity was suitably increased when he heard the part about the "real package". If they were referring to what he thought they were then maybe Dieter hadn't gotten what he had wanted after all. The reference to these "Cerberus assholes" was something Kynarus had no idea about. He was sure he could learn enough if he just listened a little more.

"I doubt they do, boss," another, much deeper and non-human voice said, "Otherwise they wouldn't have bothered with a fake one. They would have just tried to kill us already."

There was a brief silence until the second man spoke again, voicing the fears of Dieter. Kynarus remained where he was, hoping this group of friends of Dieter would reveal some useful information.

"Maybe they wanted to lure us all here? As a trap?"

"Shit!" This was Dieter again, yelling once more. He came past the doorway again, kicking a dust bin as he went.

"What do we do now, boss?" This was the deep, inhuman voice. Kynarus thought it sounded like it was coming from a krogan although he couldn't really work out why a krogan would be involved in all of this. Regardless of who the voice belonged to Kynarus remained listening, his pistol held at the ready. He peeked around the side of the separating wall and brought his pistol to a stable firing position, peering down the weapon's sights while waiting for Dieter to come past the doorway again. He could get rid of the lunatic here without much trouble, simply by taking careful aim and squeezing the trigger.

"We go to the Citadel," Dieter said, "I know just who to talk to. Then we try and figure out where the fuck the real package is."

"Who are we going to find at the Citadel?"

"An old friend, Heinrich Walstedt is his name. He's a corporation contact. He'll help us figure out where the real package is," Dieter replied, stopping just by the doorway. Kynarus could see his arms and shoulder but nothing much else, preferring a clean and certain kill when he fired. If he shot Dieter in the arm he doubted it would kill the man, rather it would probably just piss him off more so than he already was.

Dieter had managed to tell Kynarus all he needed if he was going to get to the bottom of this ever-increasingly interesting assignment. He had been planning on getting back to the Citadel himself to get into contact with Colonel Sommers, now it seemed Dieter had a friend on the vast space station as well. That would make things easier, no doubt. First, though, Kynarus would get rid of Dieter and his friends as well as sabotage whatever operation they had going on here.

Dieter stopped in the doorway, his backed turned while he pointed towards some unseen character. Kynarus' grip tightened on the trigger, making some last minute corrections to his aim when he felt the now familiar feeling of a cold gun barrel against the back of his head.

"Don't move," the accented human voice said, "put down your gun as well. We wouldn't want it going off accidentally…"

Kynarus swore quietly under his breath and lowered his pistol, slowly turning around to face the surprise visitor. It was the officer he had seen earlier who had obviously decided to come back into the offices for whatever reason. He was holding a standard pistol, a smile forming on his roughened features.

"The boss said to keep an eye out for a turian," the officer said, "so, maybe I should just kill you now and get a pay-rise?"

Kynarus was used to this type of situation but found it annoying when it did happen. This was the second time today he had been confronted like this and he figured maybe he was just getting sloppy at his job.

"How about I kill you, that way you can leave me alone?" Kynarus smiled, he had a habit for ruffling the feathers of his opponents. The officer himself smiled in return, chuckling loudly while his grip on the pistol tightened. Kynarus thought he would join in the laughs as well but within seconds had lashed out with a clenched fist, hitting the office in the nose and forcing the cartilage straight up and into his brain. The officer looked stunned for a moment before falling down, presumably dead while his nose bled profusely.

The noise was more than enough to get the attention of Dieter and whoever else was in the room ahead. Kynarus stood up, brought his pistol to bear and fired at the shape of Dieter, the shot seeming to hit the human in the chest but otherwise it didn't do any damage. Dieter went behind the wall by the doorway, shouting at whoever else was in the room to get ready.

Kynarus started towards the door, firing away at the wall and blowing chunks of plaster out of it. Clouds of white dust floated around for some time before falling and Dieter didn't seem to like the amount of shots that were colliding with the wall behind him.

"Get him, damn it!" Dieter shouted just as Kynarus stepped through the doorway. He quickly took in the interior of the large board room, taking note of the burly krogan in the dark armour and the dark-haired human male to the right. The krogan raised his rifle but Kynarus was faster, firing and shooting the weapon out of the krogan's hands. While the pair was gathering their bearings Kynarus turned to his right, grabbing a surprised looking Dieter and putting him into a headlock. He held the surprised human in front of him like a shield, pressing the barrel of his pistol against the side of the human's head. Both the krogan and the other human seemed to hesitate at the moment when they saw the position their boss was in.

"Ah…the turian interloper…" Dieter said in a strained and slightly annoyed tone, "this is the second time you've interrupted me when I was in the middle of something…"

"Shut up Dieter," Kynarus said simply, "I'm only here to get rid of you. Tell your friends to stand down and I might let you live a little longer."

Dieter chuckled but Kynarus tightened the arm he had around the human's neck, Dieter coughing rather than laughing. The krogan had by now brought out a shotgun while the other human was simply standing rigid, watching the turian and Dieter with close scrutiny. Kynarus realized he probably didn't have much time before the pair reacted and so decided to hasten things up a little.

"You seem to know who I am, yet I have no idea who you are," Dieter said, attempting a sort of civil conversation despite the fact he was being held in an effective headlock which was also immobilizing his arms, "tell me your name, turian. It seems fair, doesn't it?"

"Shut up or I'll break your neck," Kynarus said. He wasn't about to tell Dieter his name, the fact of the matter being that if Dieter got away again there would be nothing stopping him from looking Kynarus up in whatever databases his corporation had.

"Alright, calm down," Dieter said uneasily. Was that a hint of fear in his voice? Kynarus couldn't tell but it probably was, Dieter being the type who cared more about himself than anyone else. That would mean he obviously feared for his life like everyone else.

"You're coming with me, Dieter," Kynarus said, about to start backing into the previous room. However, Dieter had other ideas and began struggling and shouting loudly at the others in the room to do something.

"Kill the fucking turian!" Dieter shouted, finally losing it, "Open fire! Kill him and make sure you don't kill me!"  
The krogan and the other human exchanged uncertain glances. Kynarus wasn't expecting them to do much until his gaze went to the krogan, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the rippling blue energy cascade off of the krogan's large frame.

_Great, a biotic_, Kynarus thought without amusement. He raised his pistol, pointing it straight towards the krogan and firing again and again. The shots were absorbed by the krogan's shields much to Kynarus' annoyance. There was a sudden flash of energy and the force of what seemed like a car driving into him at high speed connected with Kynarus within seconds. He and Dieter were knocked backwards and through the doorway, the pair landing side by side on the carpeted floor. Kynarus was dazed a little, realizing his pistol was no longer in his right hand and saw it lying on the floor some distance away.

Dieter, meanwhile, was back on his feet but Kynarus was as quick to react to this as the krogan was to fire with his shotgun. The shots took a chunk out of the floor by Kynarus' head just as the turian grabbed one of Dieter's legs and pulled him down onto the floor again. He pulled Dieter up in front of him, using him as s ort of shield once again. The krogan hesitated for a moment, probably not too keen on shooting his only source of pay.

"Get out of the way boss," the krogan said, taking a step forwards. Kynarus reached down to the combat knife he had in its sheath at his waist, pressing the blade against Dieter's throat as he rose back to his feet. He pulled Dieter up with him as well, holding him in a headlock once again.

There was the sound of footsteps at the other side of the room. Kynarus managed a glance in that direction and saw that about four of the synthetic soldiers had entered the room and had stopped some distance away, their rifles raised.

Kynarus realized that if he hadn't been knocked down by the damn biotic krogan than maybe he could have already gotten out of here, dragging Dieter along with him for later questioning. He realized his stupidity at not having thought about the fact that maybe Dieter had biotics at his disposal.

"You're fucked, turian," Dieter said, still seething with anger but powerless to break out of Kynarus' grip.

Kynarus looked around, first towards the shotgun-wielding biotic krogan and the dark-haired man who was still watching him closely. Then he glanced towards the four soldiers, realizing that either way he faced he would get gunned down. He only had a knife at the moment and could easily be cut down in seconds if the soldiers and the krogan took the chance of firing and hoping not to hit Dieter.

It was a tad surprising when the windows to the right of him smashed inwards, the wooden planks that had been used to board them up being broken into simple wood shards and splinters. Sunlight streamed into the room and everyone's attention was briefly diverted towards the smashed through boarded windows, several grey armoured figures with helmets on and visors that hid their faces jumping inside. They had obviously rappelled down from the roof with the intent of barging in on whatever was going on inside.

The grey-armoured humans brought their assault rifles to bear and opened fire. The synthetic soldiers in the black armour were cut down within seconds and Kynarus thought better than to remain standing still with Dieter as a human shield.

One of the grey-armoured humans switched their attention towards Kynarus and Dieter, opening fire with the assault rifle they were holding. The shots all hit Dieter, Kynarus pushing the wounded man off to the side with the vain hope that maybe the man had died. A volley of rifle fire zipped through the air by Kynarus, the turian diving to the floor just as the krogan in the doorway let the nearest grey-armoured human have it. That human's shields collapsed under the power of the shot, being sent flying backwards a few feet and hitting the wall behind him with some force.

Kynarus saw his pistol lying on the floor close by. Hurriedly crawling towards it, he picked it up with his right hand and scanned the room around him. There were about four of these interloping human soldiers and all had opened fire with their assault rifles, the shots taking chunks out of the wall behind Kynarus as they swept their fire in the direction of the krogan. Kynarus watched as the krogan held up a hand, seemingly tapping into his deepest reserves of energy to create a shimmering barrier of dark blue energy around him. The shots that connected with the barrier were easily absorbed, the krogan managing to duck back behind the wall while the shooting continued.

Kynarus made his way behind an overturned desk, shots hitting the metal of the desk with loud metallic _twang_ sounds. He leaned around the side and pulled the trigger of his Stinger pistol, managing to gun down one of the soldiers while they scattered throughout the office.

He was forced back into cover by the return fire from the others, Kynarus managing a glance back at the doorway while he did so. He could see Dieter lying on the floor, rolling onto his side and still very much alive. There were a few scorched holes in his jacket but no blood which was enough to indicate to Kynarus that Dieter had been wearing an armoured vest underneath his clothes all along. He thought of simply shooting Dieter through the head now, noticing that he had an advantage at the moment.

"Kill these fuckers!" Dieter shouted, reaching for the old fashioned pistol he had holstered at his waist, "and the turian!" His eyes met with those of Kynarus and the pair immediately raised their pistols, pointing them at each other in turn. While all this was happening the new attackers were continuously firing, clouds of dust and particles of plaster floating around the room from the damage caused to the walls. The air was thick with the stuff and for a moment Kynarus thought that maybe it wouldn't be good for his lungs to be breathing such stuff in.

The pair remained transfixed on each other's gaze for a few more seconds before firing their weapons. Kynarus' shields flared and Dieter grunted before keeling over, presumably dead. This hopeful thought was quickly corrected when Kynarus saw the grenade disc gliding through the air, seeing that Dieter had merely ducked to allow the disc to fly over him.

Kynarus stood up, turning his attention towards the three grey-uniformed attackers that had spread out through the room. His best bet was one of the open windows; he could climb his way down if he had to or use one of the rappelling ropes the attackers had used to get to this floor. The grenade that had been thrown detonated behind him, the force knocking him onto the floor. His senses were thrown about momentarily, his vision swaying and the extent of his hearing now replaced with a high pitched ringing sound. Around him clouds of dust and smoke filled his vision and yet again he thought that maybe Dieter had died but when he turned around to take he look he saw the man had gotten up, firing towards the other attackers as he went back through the doorway and into the office with the krogan and other human.

Kynarus rose back onto his feet, his hearing gradually returning to its former normal state. His shields flared as the attackers began to fire in his direction but before they could get a decent bead on him he had made it to the window, grabbing hold of the black rappelling rope and sliding down without much thought of what was on the ground below.

The rope itself stopped short of the ground a few metres, forcing the turian to jump off of the end. When he was on the ground and in full sunlight he managed a look back towards the building, starting down the driveway and towards the street as he did. Parked on the roof was a black attack craft, the sort used to carry troops into a combat operation. More of the grey armoured attackers were on the roof and the sounds of weapons fire could be heard from more than just the top floor.

Kynarus was still a bit dazed from all that had happened but knew he had to get to the Citadel and find this "Heinrich Walstedt" person as well as meet with Colonel Sommers again. There were so many things bugging him, especially the fact that apparently the package Dieter had gotten from Katherine had been a fake with nothing inside it. He would have to ask Katherine about this to see if she knew but somehow he doubted she did.

Who were the new attackers? Maybe they had been the ones to plant the fake package. They seemed to have themselves well-organized, flying here in a drop-ship without many others noticing. Kynarus wanted to know who these people are and whether they would be a threat or not since he doubted they knew of his involvement. That might explain why they had shot at him as well as Dieter and his goons.

Kynarus started running when he heard the wail of police sirens in the distance. No doubt they would be coming to check up on the "disturbance" at the disused spaceport and office building and the last thing Kynarus needed right now was to run into the Police Chief again. He probably wouldn't be happy to see the turian again at another scene of a shooting. Not happy at all.


	12. Pursuit

**Location:** Deckar's Stand, Talerian

Kynarus had found his vehicle parked where he had left it, just outside of the driveway that went into the spaceport compound. Behind him he could still hear the sounds of weapons fire coming from within the spaceport and its adjoining office complex while Dieter's goons and the grey-armoured attackers fought it out. Kynarus had assumed that the new attackers had been the ones to plant the fake package so that Dieter could be tracked easily when he got hold of it. The plan itself was highly probable and most likely this was what was happening now, with more of the grey-armoured attackers rappelling down the building.

Kynarus kept his pistol gripped in his right hand as he started for his vehicle, managing a glance back at the building and noticing that several of the grey-armoured attackers were on the ground outside of the building. Some had turned their attention towards him and had opened fire with their assault rifles, the shots lacing the air near Kynarus as he jumped into his buggy and attempted to get the engine started.

The wails of police sirens was getting close so he knew he would have to hurry, getting away before the police arrived. He was about to start his vehicle's engine when several shots hit the front of the car, tearing holes into the metal and probably into the power cells inside the engine. Kynarus ducked as a volley of rifle fire slammed into the side of the vehicle, the windows there smashing and raining shards of glass upon him. He got up when the firing stopped and brought his pistol up, shooting at the grey armoured attackers that had begun to move towards him.

A warning beep sounded inside the vehicle, one of the panels by the steering wheel flashing with the words 'WARNING: FUEL LEAK'. The turian swore loudly, turning his attention back to getting the engine started. The key went into the ignition but otherwise nothing happened when he tried turning it. Rather, the warning beep increased in pitch and volume which was enough to get on his nerves.

The rifle fire continued, hammering the side of the car with shot after shot. Some actually penetrated the flimsy metal fuselage and flew through the interior of the vehicle. Kynarus went low and crawled towards the other side, pushing open the door and falling onto the road, able to hear loud thumps and metallic pings every time another shot hit the vehicle.

Kynarus got into a crouching position and started for the short stone wall that went around the perimeter of the spaceport compound. He dived behind it as more rifle fire laced through the air close to him, taking chunks out of the wall and tarmac near him. Kynarus kept moving in cover, trying not to expose himself as he did. He started down the sidewalk once he was out of the line of fire of the grey-armoured attackers, rising onto his feet and beginning to sprint past the dilapidated shopfronts and apartment complexes. There were few civilians in this section of town and so the street was mostly devoid of pedestrians save for the few shady looking types Kynarus pushed his way through further down the street.

Behind him, he heard shouting: the grey-armoured attackers weren't about to let him go just yet. The familiar sounds of assault rifles firing could be heard from further down the street behind him and almost immediately the few pedestrians made a run for it. One of the human males to his left who had been dressed in a long brown coat and dark trousers fell onto the ground abruptly, stumbling forwards from his own momentum. Kynarus figured that the grey-armoured attackers didn't care much for collateral damage which gave him more reason to find cover.

Kynarus finally came to what looked like a store that was actually in business and not closed and boarded up. The automatic door slid open as he approached, allowing him quick entry into the dingy little shop. The man at the counter looked up from the datapad he had been reading, watching as Kynarus barged his way through several shelves. Plenty of food and cleaning products fell onto the floor as he forced his way through the store, the man at the counter yelling something at him that Kynarus didn't hear. The turian was concentrating on getting to the back door of the store and hopefully away from his pursuers.

There were shouts behind him and rifle fire once again. Shots ripped through the products on the shelves behind him, the owner of the store diving onto the floor to avoid getting hit. Kynarus made it to a door at the end of the store and pushed it open, entering a small hallway which went off into a bathroom and an office. He ignored both rooms and instead raced to the door at the end of the hallway just as the group of grey-armoured pursuers forced their way into the hallway.

More rifle fire from behind once again made Kynarus forget about any sort of care he should be taking with his quick movements. Rather, he dived towards the flimsy old-fashioned door which was constructed out of wood and collided with it somewhat painfully. It gave way as he hit it, tearing right off its hinges and sending him flying out into a narrow alleyway. He landed painfully on the cement ground but rolled onto his side, swivelling to face the doorway with his pistol raised and at the ready.

The first of his pursuers stepped into the doorway, Kynarus reacting to this by pulling the trigger on his pistol. The shots connected with the armoured human's shields but enough shots hit home to collapse these shields easily. The human fell, stumbling down the few steps at the base of the doorway before landing in a heap close to Kynarus.

The turian took a moment to catch his breath and his bearings. He had just forced his way through some human's store and was now in a set of winding back alleys that probably found their way throughout the whole settlement. This would make getting back to the clinic somewhat easier and quicker. First, however, he would have to lose these pursuers. He realized he had no clue who these guys were but he knew that they wanted to kill him, probably thinking that he had something to do with Dieter and his goons. He doubted telling them he wasn't involved would work and so decided to get moving, getting back up onto his feet and starting down the alley.

He didn't know where he was going, having had the navigation system in the hired vehicle to guide him to his destination. Now he was simply running through back alleys with no indication of where he was supposed to be headed. He paused to think about this for a minute, racking his mind for any information he might have that would help him find his way. However, his thoughts were abruptly ended when weapons fire could be heard from further behind him. He turned around and saw that the remaining few grey-armoured humans had followed him out into the alleyway and had opened fire. This was enough of a reason to send him diving behind the nearest available cover which took the form of a smelly but large dumpster. Rifle shots slammed loudly into the dumpster but otherwise Kynarus was safe for now, the turian gathering his immediate bearings before leaning around the side and returning fire.

One of the humans seemed to throw something and it only took a few seconds for Kynarus to realize what it was. The familiar disc-shape of a grenade glided through the air towards him, latching itself onto the side of the dumpster and beginning to beep. Kynarus started running; heading towards the nearest door and hearing the grenade detonate loudly behind him. The dumpster was knocked onto its side, the top opening and the garbage inside spilling out into the alleyway. The force of the explosion was enough to knock Kynarus over, the turian falling flat onto his face and remaining dazed for a few seconds. He could dimly hear weapons fire behind him, his shields coming into view once again but managing to take the brunt of the fire.

He quickly regained his senses, getting back onto his feet and turning around with his pistol raised. Returning fire he watched as the pair of grey-armoured pursuers went back behind cover, his shots mostly colliding with the trash cans and boxes they had taken cover behind.

Dissatisfied with the result of his shooting Kynarus started for the door again, trying it once while glancing behind him at the pair of grey-armoured soldiers. They were up again, firing in his general direction but being unable to score a close hit because of the overturned dumpster in front of Kynarus. Shots hit the brick and mortar walls of the surrounding buildings, blowing chunks out of them while Kynarus prepared to kick in the flimsy wooden door. He took a step back before kicking forwards with all his strength with his right foot. The door gave way, tearing off its creaky old-fashioned hinges and falling into the dank hallway behind. Surprised shouts could be heard from a nearby room, probably from whoever lived in this building.

Kynarus wasted no time going inside, racing through the hallway and into a large kitchen. Several humans in white aprons and hats were in here, some were chopping vegetables while others were working over stoves. As soon as Kynarus was inside they all stopped and looked at him, seeing that he was carrying a pistol. Some put their hands up, thinking this to be some sort of hold-up but Kynarus simply ignored them and barged his way past the surprised chefs. He could hear the hurried footfalls of his pursuers in the hallway outside, the turian racing through the double doors at the end of the kitchen and out into the eating area. At this time of day the restaurant was full of people of all kinds, sitting at their assigned tables and chatting away while eating or waiting for their meals to come. Kynarus' presence seemed to make them all fall silent, many heads in the room turning to look at the turian intruder.

Ignoring the patrons in the restaurant Kynarus headed towards the front entrance, pushing his way past a surprised waiter who had been carrying several glasses of drinks on a tray. That tray went falling along with the glasses it held, the glasses shattering loudly on the floor and the waiter swearing at the turian. This was the least of Kynarus' worries since the two armoured pursuers had just entered the eating area and opened fire with their rifles with little regard to the innocent civilians inside the restaurant. One of the waiters fell when a stray shot connected with him while a lot of the women inside the restaurant began screaming.

Kynarus made it out onto the street, able to hear the shouts of the frightened patrons inside the restaurant. He looked around as he started running across the road, noticing that he was in a somewhat familiar section of the town. He still wasn't sure where the clinic was exactly but he had the feeling that he was getting close.

As he was running across he hardly notice the human car that screeched to a halt metres before him, hitting him with enough force to knock him over. The human inside climbed out of the car to see whether or not Kynarus was alright but the turian was fine, hurriedly getting back onto his feet after being knocked over for about the third time within a few hours. The driver didn't have a chance to say anything before Kynarus' pursuers had run out onto the street and opened fire, seemingly with little regard for the amount of public attention they would get. The driver slumped onto his car, blood staining the white paintwork as he went. Kynarus was up again and running, shots lacing through the air around him while most connected with the few cars on the road at the time, causing the drivers to swerve to a standstill and collide with other vehicles.

While the chaos continued to erupt around him, Kynarus still kept his mind on getting away. Right now his muscles were hurting and his lungs were burning, unsure of how long he could keep this up before falling over in exhaustion. Sure, he was fit for a turian but even someone like him had limits.

Kynarus came to the door of an old house, one of several on the other side of the street. He turned around, ducking behind the short stone wall out the front of the house while his two pursuers were trying to get across the road without getting run over. The pedestrians here were beginning to run away from the area as fast as they could, some shouting in surprise when the two armoured pursuers opened fire in Kynarus' direction. He ducked as several shots hit the front of the wall, blowing chunks out of it but otherwise not making it through.

This was a good time for Kynarus to catch his breath which he started doing. His muscles, especially those in his legs, were aching painfully but he knew he couldn't stay here for too long before those pursuing him decided to flank him. There were only two of them but he was guessing that there would be more soon enough, they all seemed so intent on killing him. He had no idea why but he did know that if someone was shooting at you the best idea was to get away or shoot back if possible.

The now familiar wailing of a police siren caught his attention, Kynarus watching over the top of the stone wall as a police car ground to a halt on the side of the street. Before the officer inside had a chance to get out the two armoured pursuers had trained their rifles on the car and began to promptly fill it with holes. The windscreen smashed and blood sprayed out onto the bonnet, more of the shots hitting the sirens on top and cutting off their wailing abruptly. Kynarus had a feeling this little event wouldn't go down well with the local police force. He knew only too well who the Police Chief would blame for all of this…

Kynarus leaned around the side of the wall and fired in the direction of the pursuers just as another pair of police cruisers rolled up and parked on the side of the street. The two armoured pursuers went for cover behind the nearest stationary vehicle they could, firing on the police cars that had just arrived. The officers inside kept down, climbing out of their vehicles and pulling out their side-arms and bringing them to a ready to fire position. Kynarus thought it best to just let the scene play itself out, watching as another pair of police cars came from the other end of the street.

The two armoured pursuers were undoubtedly in a spot of trouble now, standing up and firing on the police officers and their vehicles. One of the officers went down while the other half a dozen all opened fire, their shots being absorbed the shields on the armoured perpetrators before wearing them down seconds later. Kynarus watched with some satisfaction as the two armoured pursuers were cut down in a hail of small arms fire, twitching to and fro under the intensity of the fire.

That was when he noticed a familiar figure standing by one of the police cars that was lowering their pistol. He realized it was Police Chief Lister and he didn't look too happy, especially when he turned around and saw Kynarus watching from the front yard of the house. His face screwed into a weird contortion of frustration and rage when he laid eyes on the familiar turian.

"Get that turian!" He shouted, directing the other police officers in Kynarus' direction, "place him under arrest!"

Kynarus cursed at his bad luck, watching as the half a dozen or so police officers came running his way. He didn't wait for them to reach him; rather he turned around and raced to the front door. This door was an automatic one fitted with a computer lock and definitely not something he could break down like all the other older manual doors. He looked around and saw a short fence by the side of the house which led into the sideway which ran along the length of the building and to the back garden. Running over there he hurriedly climbed up the short wooden fence, jumping off the top and beginning to run once he had hit the ground. He could hear the shouts of the police officers somewhere behind him but he was more concentrated on getting away from them and avoiding yet more trouble.

He made his way into the back garden which mostly consisted of a patchy yellow-green lawn that had probably seen better days and an outdoor dining table with matching chairs. The backyard itself was empty but he did see a small young human child standing in one of the windows, watching him with some curiosity. Kynarus ignored the child and made his way to the back fence, jumping up and grabbing hold of the metal before pulling himself over the top. As he did so the police had only just made it into the house, racing into the backyard seconds after he had gone.

Kynarus had landed in another back garden, this one for the house behind it. This time there was an elderly couple sitting at an outdoor dining table and they watched with some surprise as he raced right past them and down the house's sideway, climbing over the fence there and out onto another street. He paused a moment, leaning against the fence to catch his breath and unable to help but puff and pant. He was tired from all the running which had seemed to be non-stop for some time. His legs hurt and his lungs burned, he seriously needed to take a break.

So far today had proved itself an interesting day and all before lunch. It was about lunchtime now and the streets were more populated than they would be at any other time, people out and about in the cold Talerian air.

Kynarus started across the road here, avoiding the slight amount of traffic there was and ignoring the odd glances he kept getting from the human pedestrians that were wandering around. The sound of wailing police sirens caught his attention, turning to his right and watching as a police cruiser started down the street towards him. He reckoned that his description was all over the police databases and it would be fairly easy for him to be picked out, being one of the only turians on the planet.

"Damn it!" He was beginning to have enough of all this. He would be grateful once he reached the clinic but he knew he would have to lose his police pursuers first. If anything, human police officers were determined to get their perpetrators. Kynarus wasn't quite sure why he should be the on getting in trouble; after all he hadn't killed any police officers like the people who had been chasing him.

He started in the opposite direction, his legs throbbing painfully as he went. They needed a good massage to say the least but he doubted he would be getting one anytime soon.

Looking behind he saw that in the passenger seat of the cruiser was the Police Chief, radio in hand as he began speaking through the PA systems on the police cruiser. It casually rolled up beside Kynarus who had resorted to jogging to conserve energy, the turian glancing to his side and noticing that the Police Chief was looking right at him.

"Quit running, lizard-face," Police Chief Lister said with a grin, his voice amplified on the PA, "we have this street cordoned off at either end."  
To make sure the Police Chief wasn't lying, Kynarus took a look up ahead. At about a distance of one hundred metres were three police cruisers, parked on their sides and blocking the width of the street. Several police officers stood at the ready, their weapons raised and trained in Kynarus' general direction. The same sort of thing was at the other end of the street behind the turian. He looked around for any other means of escape but could see none, unless he tried barging through another shop or something.

"I've had a change of heart about arresting you. Instead, you best be getting your scaly ass into my police car or I'll tell my boys to open fire," Lister said, keeping his grin, "no one's going to care about some turian mercenary who just happened to be around when a bunch of civilians and cops got. We have no idea who those cop killers were but they were trying to kill you, which may or may not be a good thing. So, you're either going to stop running and get in the backseat so you can give yourself up quietly or you can die in a hail of bullets.

"People who disturb the peace in Deckar's Stand don't often get away with it," Lister continued, "so you should consider yourself lucky since I'm giving you a chance."

Kynarus stopped running, leaning forwards and trying to catch his breath. Lister ordered his driver to pull up beside the turian which he did. At the same time, several of the police officers from the cordon up ahead raced over to Kynarus, surrounding him with their stun batons drawn. The turian exchanged glances with a few of them, noticing that they seemed more frightened of him than anything else.

Kynarus turned to the Police Chief who had stepped out of the police cruiser, stepping towards the turian with a satisfied smile.

"Don't worry boys, he ain't going anywhere," Lister said, breaking through the circle of nervous police officers that had formed around Kynarus. He frowned, looking at the turian and playfully punching him in the arm. It didn't hurt but Kynarus was a bit surprised by it, noticing that the Police Chief had started laughing.

"You turians are so funny, you know that?" He said although Kynarus was trying to figure out what was really so funny about himself, "you think you can push us humans around and seem to think we won't mind if you come into one of our peaceful towns and start shooting shit.

"Newsflash lizard boy, we _do_ mind," Lister said as Kynarus stood up straight. Lister was unperturbed by the obvious height superiority that Kynarus had and simply looked up into the young turian's eyes, his face changing to one of noticeable dislike.

"I'm going to give you until the end of today to get the fuck out of Deckar's Stand and off Talerian in general," the Police Chief said, "do you understand? If I ever see you in this town again then, well…no more Mr. Nice Guy…"

Kynarus simply nodded although he had been planning on getting off the planet anyway. All he had to do was get Katherine and tell her about the recent developments that had occurred before they could head on to the Citadel.

"Could you give me a lift to the medical clinic?" Kynarus asked sheepishly, "I'm…uh…kind of lost…"

Lister merely glared at him for a moment, Kynarus able to see the hatred this man had for his species in the Police Chief's eyes. Regardless, the Police Chief nodded and turned towards the driver in the police car he had used to catch up to Kynarus during the pursuit.

"Give the turian asshole a lift," he said bluntly.

* * *

Kynarus was dropped off outside the steps of the medical clinic, the police cruiser that had taken him speeding away once he was out. For a moment he took in his surroundings, trying to see if there were any armoured and armed people waiting for him but the street was mostly empty save for a few pedestrians. The turian breathed a sigh of relief, heading up the short set of steps and into the clinic's waiting room.

The female receptionist was where she usually was, typing away at a computer and only looking up as he came in. She smiled at him although that smile disappeared when she saw how tired and annoyed Kynarus looked.

"Are you here about your friend?" She asked as Kynarus approached the front desk.

Kynarus was feeling especially tired, having been running through the streets of Deckar's Stand for what seemed like an hour, almost non-stop at that.

"How is she?"

"Fine, I think. You'd best to ask the doctor that, though."

Kynarus nodded, starting down the short hallway and into the room where he had last left Katherine. He was relieved to see that she was fine, noticing that she seemed to be moving up and about fine. He didn't think he would have cared so much for a human woman but it seems that the direct opposite had happened. He didn't quite know why but he had always had the inkling that there was far more between them than a simple friendship.

Dr. Hendrickson was standing at one end of the room, eyeing the monitors linked up with Katherine with a careful eye. He was nodding to himself as if what was on the monitors approved with him which was always a good sign.

"Kynarus, you're back," Katherine said, turning around to face him. The turian noticed she still looked a bit pale but that was understandable; getting shot in the chest was bound to do that to someone.

Hendrickson glanced over at the turian, tapping his datapad's stylus against the device itself. He seemed to be thinking about something and didn't seem too interested in Kynarus' presence.

"You find any leads?"

Katherine said this and when she did Kynarus couldn't help but smile. _Find any leads? Yeah, I sure did. As well as that, I got shot at for my trouble_. He distinctly remembered telling Katherine he would have come back after finding the information at the police headquarters but he guessed his own curiosity had gotten the better of him.

"Plenty," Kynarus said although in reality the only one he had was the one about the Citadel and this "Heinrich Walstedt" person. Whoever he was he had something to do with Dieter and whatever else was going on. It would be hard finding any solid evidence but Kynarus assumed that maybe Colonel Sommers knew something about this Heinrich guy…

"Anything useful?"

"Not really," Kynarus replied, noticing that Katherine was smiling. She could probably see how tired and annoyed he was and seemed to have the idea that something much more had happened to Kynarus than originally intended. She would be right about that, Katherine probably having that sort of "woman's intuition" which made it impossible to lie to a woman's face. Kynarus had no reason to lie though; he decided he would get straight to the point and answer her questions if she had any.

"I did find out something rather useful, though," Kynarus said, noticing that the doctor had left the room, "and I think it may indicate our next course of action."

This seemed to get Katherine's attention: she climbed off of the bed and stepped towards him, putting on the brown-red jacket he had first found her in. She looked up towards him, an eyebrow raised before her eyes seemed to take him in from top to bottom. Whatever she was doing it was something Kynarus didn't think he should say anything about; it had been a long time since a woman had taken that good a look at him.

"I went down to the police station and made enemies with the local Police Chief," he said, Katherine looking back up into his face with a worried expression, "but it's really not that important, that detail. It's just that he told me you and I should get off this planet before the end of the day…"

"Why?"

"Something about how we 'disturbed the peace', I'm really not that sure…" Kynarus shrugged, what the Police Chief had said and did didn't really care much to him. He just knew that he would probably be on the local police's 'most wanted' list of he didn't leave Talerian by nightfall.

"Besides, that's not the point," Kynarus said, "the point is what I found out. I ended up finding the very place Dieter and his forces have set up a makeshift base of operations. So, I went there and…"  
Katherine frowned, looking a little doubtful.

"Hang on: you said you would come back here when you found something out?" Katherine asked. She was probably thinking that Kynarus had gotten rid of Dieter rather than her since she had been the one so intent on revenge. Kynarus could gladly say he hadn't killed Dieter but he wasn't too sure whether those gyre-armoured humans had done it or not. They had seemed pretty intent on doing that.

"I was curious so I went there," Kynarus replied, "not that anything _really_ important happened there. Unless you want to include how I found out that the package Dieter had got off of you had in fact been empty…"

Katherine now looked quite surprised at this fact. She obviously had had no idea about the contents of the package and whether it had been empty or not. Kynarus had been quite the same way but also sort of glad since it meant there was still a chance the real thing was out there somewhere and thus still a chance that he could get it and get his paycheck from Colonel Sommers.

"That's strange," Katherine said, more so to herself than anything else. She looked up at Kynarus thoughtfully, still trying to figure this out. The whole situation they were in kept getting more and more complicated as it went: Kynarus had come to Talerian believing that he would be faced with an easy assignment with a large paycheck. Now that paycheck was quite out of his reach at the moment and he was beginning to get embroiled in a situation that was constantly changing. Whoever those people were that had chased him through the streets obviously had a thing against Dieter and his goons but they had also wanted him dead quite badly. Not that was much news to Kynarus seeing as so many groups of people wanted him dead he had gotten used to the idea that he was probably being watched wherever he went. Talerian, though, was beginning to prove itself as a place far too dangerous even for him.

"I know it's strange," Kynarus said, "but then again this whole scenario keeps getting more and more complicated. When I came here I thought I would be faced with the easiest assignment I've ever had: get the package and leave. Now it seems neither of us have any idea where that package is…"

"Anything else?"

"Much more. I almost ended up killing Dieter but instead our fight was interrupted by a bunch of heavily armed human commandoes…"

"Alliance commandoes…"

Kynarus thought about this for a moment. They certainly hadn't had the insignia of the Human System Alliance and they had had little regard for innocent bystanders while they had chased him through the town.

"They were definitely not Alliance. They were human and some of them did chase me through part of the town, shooting their way through throngs of innocent bystanders so I'm assuming they probably want me dead as well. For all we know, they could be organizing some sort of attack right now…"

Kynarus trailed off, realizing how true this probably was. Those human commandoes had seemed resourceful enough and probably had worked out his identity and the part he played in all of this. This was more than enough reason to get off of the planet as soon as possible.

Kynarus could see Katherine's face crease with worry. She probably wasn't too shaken by the recent events but it was always better to be expecting an attack than being ill-prepared. She uneasily felt the grip of the pistol she had holstered at her waist, probably thinking she might end up using it soon enough.

"I found out that Dieter plans on going to the Citadel in order to track down someone named 'Heinrich Walstedt'," Kynarus said, having trouble pronouncing the human's surname. Some of these humans had odd names, he could see that but he couldn't work out why this was the case. Maybe it had something to do with the sub-groups the humans came from and their backgrounds, much like the differing turian colonies…

"I think we should use this as our first lead," Kynarus said, "I'm suddenly eager to find out what the hell has been going on. As well as that, I really want to find the package."

"I want to kill Dieter," Katherine said, that usual fiery spark in her eyes returning, "and screw up his corporation as much as possible. Revenge is my obligation since no self-respecting mercenary would allow themselves to be double-crossed…"  
"Dieter could already be dead," Kynarus said, just realizing this. Those human commandoes had obviously attacked the spaceport's office complex to take out Dieter and his followers so chances were Dieter was dead. However, Dieter had proven himself to be the type of man who was hard to kill so maybe he had actually escaped after all.

"I doubt it," Katherine said, obviously thinking along the same lines as Kynarus, "He's probably made his escape already. If he has then he's got a head-start on finding this Heinrich guy, whoever he is. What do you think Heinrich knows anyway?"  
Kynarus shrugged.

"He could be the one who gave Dieter the package's location in the first place so in turn Dieter hired you to get it to make sure their corporation didn't have any attention brought to it. Obviously a third party had been watching this all unfold, so that means those human commandoes probably know about you."

The pair paused for a moment, looking into each other's faces. They were both thinking the same thing and they both agreed on it.

"We need to get off this planet," they both said in unison. When this happened, Katherine shot Kynarus a sheepish smile. He wasn't too sure what he should do and tried smiling as well.

"I think you and I would make an excellent team, don't you?" She asked unexpectedly. Kynarus shrugged again, maybe that would be the case since two mercenaries were often better than one. However, they both knew the little extra something they felt about each other but both weren't willing to speak it out loud. It was a sensitive and personal matter after all and they were both different species entirely.

"Maybe. Just don't get in the way of me when I shoot," Kynarus said. Katherine simply laughed, brushing past him as she headed for the door. He stopped her, putting a hand on her shoulder, making her turn around.

"Not so fast. We still haven't decided whose ship we're taking," Kynarus said, "it's either mine or yours, if you have one."

"I don't…"

"That settles it then," Kynarus said, starting towards the door with Katherine, "we'll be taking mine. I parked it in a public spaceport just outside of the town. Hopefully no one who wants to kill us is there."

* * *

Dr. Hendrickson had been in his office for a while now, filling in the rudimentary paperwork that came with being a doctor. By now the bottle of vodka he had started on earlier in the day was finished and he was feeling especially woozy. His breath smelt of alcohol but he was sure he could handle himself, especially since this clinic didn't see much in the way of patients save for today. Of all the days it had to be this one, when he was the only doctor here and when he planned on slacking off the job for a while. Some turian walks in with a bleeding woman in his arms and suddenly expects immediate help.

That was all over now. He was somewhat glad to see that the woman, Katherine Tyler, was fine and as active as a normal person. Those two had spent some time together, talking and such about whatever business they had decided to get into here on Talerian. Hendrickson couldn't quite work out just what those two actually did and why the woman had come in with a bullet in her chest. Of course, that was really none of his business: he was a doctor and he was only here to help people, not intrude on their personal lives.

He had been somewhat enjoying the paperwork seeing as it was the only constructive thing he had to do. Getting it all out of the way now was better than leaving it for tonight since he had far better things to do then, like go home and watch some entertainment vids.

What would it be tonight? Such classics like _High Noon_ or _The Matrix_? What about something far newer and probably of a less decent standard? He had a bit of a selection and two hundred year old movies were available for free off of the extranet anyway. Most were being bought up by the big corporations so they could make money out of their popularity. Current entertainment vids were such crap which just went to show how standards lessened as the years went by.

Hendrickson sat back in his chair, stretching his arms and noticing how it was just into early afternoon here on Talerian. There was still enough of a day left and he wondered what else could possibly happen today. Would someone get brought into the clinic with not one but two old fashioned bullets in them? That would be fitting considering all the frantic crap that happened before lunchtime. To top things off Hendrickson had the increasing suspicion that the turian that had brought the human woman in had been involved in a shooting in the warehouse district. At least, the news reports on the radio had mentioned something like that and warned all civilians to be on the lookout for a "suspicious turian" and report his whereabouts to the police when seen. Hendrickson had risked the temptation to do that, not really caring why the turian was here or what he had done. Whatever it was he doubted it was any of his business. Everybody had reasons why they did what they did and it wasn't up to other people to stick their nose into other people's business.

The doctor's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a nervous shout came from the waiting room. Hendrickson sat up in his chair immediately, thinking that maybe another badly wounded patient had been brought in. He stood up and went to his office's door, pushing it open and going down the short length of hallway before entering the waiting room.

Much to his surprise there wasn't another patient. Rather there were four humans clad in grey armour and all holding assault rifles, this sight being enough to scare the living daylights out of the doctor. Immediately he began thinking that maybe this had something to do with the turian and thought of dobbing him in immediately. That was when he noticed the man in the darker, heavier armour who wasn't wearing a helmet and visor that shielded his face. Instead, his head was clearly visible and so were his cold and calculating features. He was holding a pistol which was squarely pointed at the receptionist's head.

"Sally…Who are these people?" Hendrickson asked, looking at the frightened receptionist and then to the lead armoured man. The cold and calculating man turned his gaze towards the doctor, a slight hint of a smile forming on his features but otherwise he didn't even bat an eyelid. The man's eyes were a hazel colour and his hair was a dark brown colour. Hendrickson noticed the scar down one of his cheeks, realizing that he was probably in the presence of some sort of bad-ass with his own private army.

"You must be the doctor in charge here," the man said, his voice tinged with a recognizable accent. Accents nowadays were getting less pronounced but every now and then you would find something who still kept that sort of voice from where they came from. Hendrickson immediately recognized this man's accent as being South African, probably someone who spoke Afrikaans on a regular basis.

"My name is Johannes an' I'm lookin' for someone in particular," the man continued, keeping his pistol raised and pointed at Sally the receptionist's face. He didn't show any sort of hesitation, his grip and demeanour incredibly stable but with a cold and cruel aura. This man had obviously done a lot of killing.

"Her name's Katherine Tyler," Johannes said, "yah seen her around?"

Hendrickson didn't have a clue why this guy didn't just barge past him and check the operating room. Katherine would still be there but this was what he thought before he saw the camera feeds on the monitors behind the front desk. The operating room was empty, Katherine and the turian having left without him knowing. Hendrickson knew that he would probably be the only one who knew where the two had gone but the thing was, he didn't actually know. This Johannes guy just thought he did.

"Never heard of her," Hendrickson replied without hesitation, squinting as his vision seemed to sway momentarily, "why?"

"Why? Because she's knows too much to be kept alive, that's why," Johannes replied, frowning, "and I know you know where she is, so quit being smart, eh?"

Hendrickson didn't like where this was going. He had no idea where Katherine had gone; she had seemingly left without even telling the doctor. If she had gone out the front Sally would have told her about it. That meant she would have had to use the back door…Hell, 'STAFF ONLY' stickers pasted on doors did little to stop most people.

That was when Hendrickson realized the futility of the situation. He was faced with five armed and armoured people, all who looked like they could kill him without batting an eyelid. This Johannes guy probably would kill him once Hendrickson told him where Katherine had gone so he decided that if he was going out he would go out with at least his dignity still intact and not die like a snivelling coward.

"Are yah going tah tell me or what?" Johannes sounded a little annoyed now. As if to prove this the pressure his finger had on his pistol's trigger increased which was followed by a blue-white flash from the end of the weapon. Sally was knocked backwards by the force of the blast, slumping against the back wall while blood smeared across the white paintwork. Hendrickson looked on with some surprise but kept his emotions well controlled, merely shifting his gaze back towards the cold ruthless fucker known as Johannes.

"If you want to find Katherine you're going to have to find her yourself, arsehole," Hendrickson said with a grin. Johannes merely shifted his pistol so it was pointing towards the doctor, his face changing back to the cold ruthless expression it had had when Hendrickson had first walked into the waiting room.

"That's fine with me, doc," Johannes said before squeezing the trigger.

* * *

Kynarus and Katherine had seen the soldiers enter the building and had been smart enough to know that maybe they shouldn't try leaving by the front entrance. Instead, they had raced out of the building through the rear door, entering an alley which winded through several other buildings before arriving at a street. As they were running they did hear the two gunshots which signified that both the receptionist and the doctor were dead.

Kynarus felt a slight pang of regret but realized there was no time to think about such things and feel guilty. No, he and Katherine had to get off of Talerian immediately.

Surprisingly Katherine seemed to be getting far ahead of him, her slender and agile frame almost exceeding Kynarus' speed. Maybe he was just tired from all the running he had done earlier or maybe this human was faster than him, a rarity but a possibility nonetheless. The pair did pick up on speed when they heard the shouts and heavy footfalls behind them, racing down the alleyway behind them.

Katherine stopped at the sidewalk, almost bowling over an elderly woman who quickly recovered and swore loudly. Ignoring her Katherine had taken out her pistol, racing onto the road and stepping in front of an oncoming vehicle. Kynarus watched with some surprise at the way Katherine was handling herself, forcing the driver to stop while she pointed the pistol at him.

"Get out of the car!" she shouted, the driving hitting the brakes and skidding to a halt less than a metre from hitting her. The driver, a man in a business outfit and clutching a briefcase, climbed out of the vehicle and put his hands up. Katherine nodded towards Kynarus, signalling him to climb into the car. He did so, entering the driver's seat. Katherine demanded the keycard for the car which the businessman reluctantly handed over. Once this had happened Katherine climbed into the passenger's seat, handing Kynarus the keycard so he could place it into the ignition and get the car running again. Meanwhile the businessman had started yelling at them, something about suing them or calling the police.

Kynarus floored the accelerator once he saw the few soldiers come out onto the street. Immediately they opened fire, spraying the car with rounds as it sped away. The window to Kynarus' left smashed opened but otherwise none hit him or Katherine and instead put holes into the side and into the cover on the front.

The pair sped away, leaving their pursuers in the dust behind them. This was enough reason for the two of them to exchange glances, Katherine smiling at the turian. Kynarus realized they had just escaped certain death which was enough of a reason for him to smile as well.

"We got out," he said, breathing a sigh of relief as he started directing the car on the nearest road that went out of the town, "what a day it's been, don't you think?"

Katherine nodded in agreement although she had missed out on a lot of the "action" Kynarus had gotten into during the day. She had spent most of her day in the clinic, lounging around and trying to recover while Kynarus had been shot at and chased through the settlement. It seemed he was always getting the short end of the stick, something which had a habit of happening to him. He wondered how much real action Katherine had seen during her career as a mercenary but figured she had seen as much as him, only having fallen unlucky today thanks to Dieter.

"Let's just quit the small talk for now and get out of this shithole," Katherine replied, Kynarus agreeing wholeheartedly. He was hoping that he would never have to come to Talerian again, the planet itself wasn't particularly interesting and the local police seemed to have something against him. The pair's next stop was the Citadel, yet another place Kynarus didn't particularly like but it seemed their only lead was there. Heinrich Walstedt, whoever he was, should be easy enough to find unless he was using a false name. First thing Kynarus would do before tracking down this associate of Dieter's was to meet Colonel Sommers and tell him what's happened. Maybe he might have some information to share. Or maybe not, depending on what's been happening.

Kynarus kept driving, taking the car out of the town and onto a dusty old road that went through the many hills and barren plains outside of the settlement. The sky was a dull grey, cloudy and preparing to rain from what he could tell. Maybe it might begin to rain, that would explain how cold today had been.

"You ever been to the Citadel?" Kynarus asked, glancing over at Katherine who had been staring thoughtfully out of the window. She turned around, shrugging.

"Only once or twice," Katherine said, "not necessarily the most interesting place around, is it?"

"I suppose you're right," Kynarus said, "but it's good for a stop-off every now and then. Trouble is it's full of C-Sec officers and they're usually not the type that take kindly to use mercenaries."

"No one takes kindly to mercenaries," Katherine replied, "except for other mercenaries."

Kynarus nodded. That made sense, he supposed. Even his own brother didn't seem to like him too much, probably because his brother was a C-Sec officer and his duty was to keep an eye on "criminals" such as Kynarus. He figured his brother's reputation would undoubtedly be damaged if he ended up having to arrest his own brother for whatever reason. That would explain why Garrus was yet to arrest him.

Kynarus saw the structure of the spaceport up ahead, nestled in a white open plain and run by an elderly human who seemed to like money. There would no doubt be a large docking fee to pay and this made Kynarus realize he was short of money. He turned to Katherine, feeling a bit low when he went to ask the question he had been thinking of asking.

"I'm sort of low on credits," Kynarus said with a sheepish smile, "maybe you could help me pay the docking fee…"

Katherine looked at him, smiling.

"Sure, handsome."


	13. Flux

**Location: **Citadel, Serpent Nebula

"Watch it, turian."

Kynarus glanced towards the disgruntled looking human he had just bumped into. Usually Kynarus was more careful but today was different: he was in a hurry to meet the Colonel and the last thing he needed was to start a fight with a pissed-off human.

He continued past the human, leaving him to swear under his breath as Kynarus made his way past the lake built in the centre of the Presidium. Having a lake on a space station would have taken a heck of a lot of resources and even more to maintain. This just went to show how much the Council races were willing to spend on making their base of government look good. Here, on the Citadel, every species in residence lived a sort of uneasy coexistence. Turians often didn't get along well with humans and vice versa but otherwise the coexistence here was better than anywhere else in the galaxy. This was primarily because starting fights was against the law and would end with several C-Sec officers arriving on the scene and arresting the perpetrators. This didn't stop it from happening though, especially down in the Wards and in the seedier nightclubs.

Last time Kynarus had bothered to come here was to meet Colonel Sommers, a human man with a thick sounding accent and who claimed to be with the Alliance. He had had a job to give Kynarus and it had been that job that had given the turian reason to go to Talerian in the first place. That job had in turn gone awry and now Kynarus was here, back on the pristine gem of galactic governmental power: the Citadel, a massive alien space station that had been here long before anyone else. It was more or less a massive city with monolithic structures and many different districts where law enforcement was somewhat strong but often missing the most obvious of criminal occurrences.

Unlike the last time Kynarus had been here he was now dressed in his dark blue casual outfit and not some suit of dirty suit of armour that had seen better days. It had been Katherine's suggestion to pick something that wasn't bulky and fitted with kinetic shields and Kynarus had reluctantly obliged. After all, it was no use wearing armour when you weren't going to get into any sort of trouble.

He felt a bit uneasy going to see the Colonel again. On the way to the Citadel he had contacted Colonel Sommers and told him about the whole situation. Even before Kynarus had started speaking he could tell the Colonel was angry about something, his voice tinged with anger and frustration. The situation that Kynarus had told him about only furthered that anger and had ended with the Colonel disconnecting from the signal abruptly. Perhaps he had other things to take care of or maybe he was just really, really angry. Enraged even. Nonetheless Kynarus was still going to meet him and perhaps find out the truth behind the assignment which had failed pathetically back on Talerian.

The Colonel had lied to Kynarus' face when they had first met; there was no doubt about that. He had told Kynarus quite bluntly that he didn't know what was in the package but this had been a straight lie. Kynarus hadn't gotten this far in his career as a mercenary without learning how to tell if someone was lying or not.

Kynarus made sure his Stinger pistol was holstered at his waist. The more he thought about it the more he thought he might end up using it. Just like the meeting on Talerian which ended in a shootout he was beginning to think that maybe this meeting with Sommers would end the same way. He wasn't too sure what C-Sec would think if a shootout began in a nightclub.

Colonel Sommers had told Kynarus to come to Flux, a nightclub down in the Wards which was a popular part of the nightlife in this area. Trouble was, it was never night on this part of the Citadel since the artificial sunlight was kept on at all time, hence the term "nightclub" seemed a bit redundant. Regardless the Colonel was going to be there and was probably already waiting for him, flanked by armoured bodyguards or maybe just that creepy Johannes guy like the last time. Last meeting had been in Chora's Den; perhaps the Colonel had chosen to go for some place different this time.

If Kynarus' past experiences on the Citadel proved anything it had been that most of the quasar machines in nightclubs here were either rigged to make the player lose or rigged by the player to make them win. Either way hadn't stopped him from trying to win large sums of money in the past, having lost five thousand credits in one playing session a few months ago.

The Wards were more or less the underbelly of the Citadel where the more unsavoury types operated. Even C-Sec couldn't get rid of all the illegal operations going on down there, which ranged from simple gambling cheats to the more popular but far more illegal prostitution rings. Not that Kynarus hadn't fallen victim to that sort of thing in the past; he had paid good money to be in the company of turian females during past visits here. Reproductive urges were only natural after all.

He doubted he would be so willing this time around. There was so much on his mind, especially about Katherine. She was back at the hotel room Kynarus had rented soon after they had arrived here earlier today, probably lounging around or spending time in the bar that took up part of the hotel's ground floor. Kynarus couldn't help but think about her all the time, unable to shake that feeling that there was more forming between them than a simple friendship. Katherine reminded him of Lalias a lot, especially because of the fiery personality the two of them shared. It was as if Katherine was the human equivalent of Lalias but then again he realized that was probably going a step too far. He knew he was just trying to find a replacement for the love he had lost in the past and he knew that Katherine wouldn't take too kindly to that if she found out.

Kynarus, by now, had made his way to one of the elevators which then took him down into the Wards. His last visit here had resulted in him bumping into his brother Garrus and the two had argued, as they always ended up doing whenever they spoke. Hence the reason the two tended to avoid each other, Garrus going off to live his own life while Kynarus lived his.

Last time they had talked Garrus had told him that the chances were high that Kynarus would get killed on his next assignment. Thing was, Kynarus was well and truly alive and this made a valid point to rub in his brother's face the next time he saw him. Sure, the assignment wasn't properly over yet and had developed into more than a "snatch and grab" job but he was still alive and that meant something. He had been shot at and chased during his time on Talerian but he hadn't been killed. At least, all signs pointed to that.

The elevator stopped and Kynarus stepped out into a familiar corridor, making his way past a human C-Sec officer who was having a lively conversation with an asari in a pink, flowing set of robes. Kynarus took a moment to gather his bearings, unsure of where he should be going. The Wards were a maze of corridors and adjoining rooms which could easily intimidate any newcomer into getting lost. Kynarus was no different and suddenly found himself a tad annoyed at the fact he had no clue to where he was going.

Regardless, he kept moving before coming to one of the public service terminals dotted about the hallways. Accessing the terminal he found a map of the entire Wards area and thus found it a bit easier to find his way through the corridors and such.

He finally found his way into Flux, finding the club to be full of humans, turians, salarians and some asari. The dance floor was full of patrons enjoying the music that was playing while the casino area upstairs was packed full of gamblers, many unable to detach them from the quasar machines. Looking around Kynarus couldn't see Colonel Sommers at any of the tables ahead of him or anywhere on the dance floor. Perhaps the Colonel was late for his own meeting which seemed to make sense since he had been late to the last one as well.

Kynarus stepped into the nightclub, the human bouncer by the wall eyeing him suspiciously as he did so. He ignored the suspicious glances from the bouncer and made his way towards the bar, sitting himself on one of the vacant seats there. The bartender in service, a purple-grey skinned salarian, turned his gaze towards the new arrival.

"You look like something's on your mind," the salarian said. Kynarus looked up at him, realizing that was probably the case. Kynarus wasn't too good at hiding his emotions but found it a little hard to think that he was _that_ easy to read.

"How about a drink?"

Kynarus nodded.

"Something cheap and strong," Kynarus said, knowing full well he was low on credits. Too many drinks here and he would probably go bankrupt which just went to show how much he was relying on getting a paycheck from Colonel Sommers. That probably wouldn't happen now because of all the complications that had occurred back on Talerian.

"I know just what you need," the salarian said, grabbing a glass from the shelves behind him and filling it with a clear liquid that had a slight yellowy tinge. It looked like urine but Kynarus wasn't fussy and took the glass gladly, gulping down the contents and feeling the burn of the alcohol on his throat. It tasted sort of strange but sweet at the same time which was enough of a reason for the turian to finish off the glass, the salarian watching with some interest.

"You haven't seen a human here by any chance?" Kynarus asked, realizing that was a stupid question. The salarian smiled, obviously thinking the same thing. Kynarus shook his head and rephrased his question, aiming for something a little more specific.

"What I meant to ask is have you seen a human with some sort of thick accent and dressed in a golden-brown long-coat?" Kynarus asked, doubting that Colonel Sommers had been here before him. Maybe the Colonel was in the bathroom, it was always a possibility.

The salarian shook his head.

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"I have to meet him," Kynarus said, "it's important. Say, you don't mind if you alert me if he comes in?"

The salarian shrugged, taking the empty class from the bench in front of Kynarus and rinsing it under the tap.

"I'll tell you," the salarian said, "no problem."

Kynarus nodded in acknowledgment, ordering another drink of the same type as before and downing the next glass of it within seconds. He pulled out his credit card and checked the number displayed on the holographic panel on the front: 2,300. Well, it was more than he had been expecting but he knew that it would go down pretty quickly if he decided to start buying more and more drinks. He quickly quashed the thought of trying his luck at one of the quasar machines upstairs, preferring to keep his hard-earned credits for some other purpose.

He wasn't really expecting the female turian to sit down on the vacant stool to his right and so didn't even look up and acknowledge her arrival. Instead he kept gazing down at the credit card with the vain hope that the number might increase if he kept watching it. As if reading his mind the female turian spoke his fears.

"It's not going to increase if you keep looking at it," she said, leaning forwards a little to get a closer look. Kynarus put the card away back into his wallet, turning his gaze towards the young female and smiling. Sure, she was certainly attractive but she mustn't have been any older than twenty.

"I was hoping it would," Kynarus said with a grin. He had no idea who this female was but it was obvious she had intentionally sat down next to him. Perhaps she fancied him, he had no idea. As he had been thinking he doubted he would attempt to pursue anything with this female since Katherine was too much on his mind.

"So, what's your name?" The female was dressed in a tight fitting blue casual outfit which helped highlight every curvature of her body. It helped add to her overall attractiveness.

"Kynarus," Kynarus replied. He didn't bother asking her for her name which seemed to make the female manage an uncertain glance at him before she told him anyway.

"I'm Yelina," she replied, "I saw you sitting here all by yourself and I thought you could do with someone to talk to."

It was quite obvious she was trying to make a move on him but Kynarus wasn't about to turn her away. Katherine may still be on his mind but knowing that females of his own species still found him attractive made him feel good about himself. Besides, it was better than sitting by himself while waiting for Colonel Sommers to show up. Judging by how late he was getting Kynarus was beginning to think that maybe he wouldn't show up at all.

"I'm waiting for someone," Kynarus said, immediately noticing the defeatist look Yelina gave him, "a human. You see, I need to meet with him about something important. I'm not waiting for another woman to come by, if that's what you're thinking."

Yelina's gaze returned to its usual brightness, giving him a sly grin when he finished talking.

"I doubt he's coming, though," Kynarus continued, realizing that he was getting deeper into this conversation than originally intended, "perhaps he's not going to show up at all…"  
"Maybe he isn't…" Yelina added, her eyes meeting with Kynarus'. There had been a time when Kynarus probably wouldn't have even bothered but since this woman had come to him than the other way around it meant that someone still found him attractive.

"Say, I feel like something special if you know what I mean," Yelina said, seeing the top half of the small container of tablets Kynarus had stuffed in his pocket while shifting in her seat so she was facing him, "I ran out of my favourite pharmaceuticals a while back and I've been dying for some more."

Kynarus gave the equivalent of a raised eyebrow, able to tell that there was perhaps more to this woman than he originally thought.

"So, what do you say?" Yelina said, "You and I, back at my place?"  
"I've had a change of heart," Kynarus said with a grin, his gaze going down the length of her body, "I'm suddenly a lot more interested in you."

"I've got an apartment," Yelina said invitingly, smiling when she saw Kynarus have a change of heart, "since your friend isn't coming maybe you and I could have something to eat there? I'm a good cook."

Kynarus agreed, although having something to eat was the least of what he was thinking. He could feel himself getting an erection where he sat and so he carefully shifted his legs so it wasn't obvious. His mind briefly wandered to what Katherine was doing and realized it probably wasn't as good as what he was intending on doing, his mind wandering to why Colonel Sommers wasn't here yet. Perhaps he was caught up in other matters; he seemed to be the sort of man that had plenty of other commitments.

Regardless, Kynarus and Yelina left together a few minutes later, smiling as they went. And, unsurprisingly, Colonel Sommers never showed.

* * *

Instead, Colonel Tiberius Sommers had been leaning against a wall near a shop run by one of the short and environment-suited volus. He was talking hurriedly into his communicator, the voice on the other end tinged with a strong South African accent and sounding sort of angry. However, nothing could compare to the rage the Colonel was feeling himself.

The volus watched and listened with some curiosity to the conversation the human was having with the voice on the other end of the signal, quite unsure as to what they were talking about but being gradually able to piece together what it could hear. The human in the golden-brown long-coat had just purchased a limited edition human antique weapon that the volus had picked up from a collector a while back, deciding to sell it for three times its original price and attempting to sucker in any who were interested. The volus had been surprised when this human had showed up and willingly paid the seventy-five thousand credits for the antique. It was obvious the human had access to such amounts of money and even carried a credit card with two million stored away on it. Business was business though so it made sense the volus hadn't asked any questions to why the human had such amounts of money.

After the purchase the human's communicator had beeped and the human had answered it, his tone changing from the business-like one the human had had earlier to something far angrier and far more sinister.

The human had gone just outside the store in an effort not to be heard by anyone else but it wasn't hard to hear the human's angered tones through the quietness of this area of the Wards.

"You fucking moron Johannes," the Colonel said, enraged for a reason the volus was unaware of, "I told you to keep watch on the turian. That was all. Keep _watch_. Do you understand what that means?"

"_I had a chance and I took it, alright sir?_"

"It wasn't alright you dumb shit," the Colonel replied bluntly, glancing around to see if there was anyone standing near him that might be able to hear him. There wasn't so he continued.

"You've jeopardized this whole operation because you jumped the gun," the Colonel said, "if I was anyone else I'd have you shot for what you did. But since I'm the nice guy Colonel I'm not willing to waste valuable men just because of this. I swear though, you fuck up again and I won't be lenient."

There was a long pause on the other end of the line while the South African considered his response.

"_Did you want the turian dead, sir?"_

"Not yet, why?"

"_Don't worry sir, he's still alive."_

"I know he is you moron," the Colonel said angrily, "I'm supposed to be meeting him now for fuck's sake. I can't since I'm talking to you though and now I'm probably going to have to reschedule the meeting.

"As a matter of fact, are you here on the Citadel now? Because if you are, I want to talk to you. Face-to-face. That way I'll know I'm getting through to you."

"_I just arrived. I got a lead on that woman's whereabouts and I'm looking into it…"_

"What woman?" Uncertainty entered the Colonel's voice for once and immediately Johannes took advantage of his lack of information about this woman.

"_Katherine Tyler her name is. She's the one who took the false package, sir. The idea was she'd be killed in the meeting with that prick Dieter but the turian ended up saving her life…"_

The Colonel raised an eyebrow, not quite following all of this new information. It was obvious he hadn't been informed enough on the subject which was beginning to annoy him. Usually when his men went to work he wanted to know what they were doing.

"_She knows too much sir. She knows what's in it, she just doesn't know it yet sir. Didn't you read the reports on her?"_

The Colonel realized he had known all along. Katherine Tyler was the mercenary Dieter had hired to get the package, the very false one that Johannes had planted on board the freighter. Thing is, they had no clue as to the real one's whereabouts which is why Katherine had been their only lead. They would use Katherine to find the real package through Dieter while sending in the turian to make sure nothing happened to her. The whole plan had been rightfully stuffed when Johannes and his squad had decided to barge in and shoot up an office complex along with some innocent bystanders and some cops. Such events never went down well in the news.

"What do you mean she's doesn't know it yet?" The Colonel asked, bewildered by this subject. How could someone know something without even knowing they knew it? It was a hard thought to wrap his head around, even for a man of his high intelligence.

"_Dieter told her, sir. At least, we think this is the case…"_

"That isn't helpful," the Colonel said, "you're either sure or you're not. There is no in between, do you understand me? Johannes, are you listening?"

"_Sure am sir. I'm just a little pissed off since that turian killed some of my soldiers. You know I get a little annoyed when that happens, don't you sir?"_

"Don't do anything stupid, Johannes," the Colonel said. He had never really relished the thought of being assigned with a top-class soldier who had mental instabilities and often took it upon himself to solve problems for the organization in general. Shooting the place up was never really what the big boss had been intending.

The big boss was known by many names. "The Big Boss" was one of them while others ranged from "The Illusive Man" to "The Watcher". He was a man of vision, one who saw opportunity where others would only see chaos and disorganization. The Big Boss was hardly ever seen in person, only being heard through a communicator while his voice had been altered to be unrecognizable. It was a typical deep, uneven tone thanks to the audio editing software that the man used.

The Colonel was one of those underneath the Illusive Man who had been assigned to this particular operation. The plan had been fairly complicated, involving hiring mercenaries so they could take the fall when something went wrong while the Colonel watched on from the sidelines. It was all centred around the mysterious package and its even more mysterious contents. The Illusive Man knew what was in them and even the Colonel knew but that was probably about the extent of it. All traces of information concerning the package's contents had been erased from all records in existence, leaving only information about the package itself and not what was contained inside it. Dieter obviously knew and so did the rest of the Zahni Corporation, probably having found the information before the Illusive Man had organized the mass wiping of it from the collective records of every record in existence. Not even any of the other alien species knew of its existence which was the way the Illusive Man would want it to remain.

Now the Colonel had to put up with Johannes and his seemingly lack of regard to the set "rules" in the plan that the Colonel had helped form with the Illusive Man. Things were fucked up now thanks to Johannes who had organized some sort of raid on Dieter's base of operations on Talerian. The incident was all over the news, albeit edited and sensationalized where appropriate. The news stories had centred on the fact that a Zahni Corporation outpost had been attacked by unidentified aggressors before they had pursued an unidentified turian through the streets, shooting civilians and cops as they went. The Colonel could simply imagine the rage the Illusive Man must have felt when he had first seen those news broadcasts. The Colonel had certainly felt enraged as well.

"_I'm not gonna do anything stupid, sir,"_ Johannes replied. The Colonel didn't think this was particularly believable, especially coming from someone like Johannes.

"_Do you want me to get rid of Katherine or not, sir?"_

"Is the turian involved with her?" The Colonel asked, although he already knew the answer. He just wanted to be sure.

"_Yes sir. Hell, the two of them are probably humping each other right now, heheh…"_

The Colonel ignored this remark, preferring to keep his mind off of such thoughts. Johannes was always trying to make jokes and often they weren't particularly funny.

"Kill Katherine but leave the turian alone," the Colonel said, "I'll take care of him. Those two have outlived their usefulness. I'm sure the boss will understand."

"_Yes sir. Glad you see it my way, sir."_

Indeed, the plan had gone awry. The turian had proved to be quite resilient in getting to the bottom of things which may explain why he had become trouble. The very reason the Colonel wanted to meet him was to simply remove the turian from their way after getting any helpful information from him.

"Is Dieter still a problem?" The Colonel asked. Dieter Sturlmann had proven to be the type of person who didn't die particularly easily, always having some means of getting out of harm's way. This time was probably no different but there was always a chance that Johannes had gotten rid of him.

"_He escaped, sir. Along with his friends as well. I think they came to the Citadel looking for someone, according to their computer logs."_

This made sense. Dieter had no leads except to find the very man that had given him the information on the package in the first place. The Colonel knew this man, Heinrich Walstedt, was well hidden here on the Citadel and hardly ever ventured out into public. He was hard to find and even harder to apprehend.

"I'll make sure I find who they're looking for," the Colonel said, "and I'll take care of Dieter while I'm at it. Anything else you have to tell me or have we covered everything?"

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before the South African replied.

"_I think that's about all, sir,"_ Johannes said, _"besides, we both have work to do. I get Katherine, you get the turian. Sound fair?"_

"You bet," the Colonel replied, switching off his communicator and putting it back into a pocket on his coat. Johannes was probably already gathering weapons and a team to find Katherine Tyler but the Colonel knew they would probably end up drawing too much attention to themselves. He had no idea why the Illusive Man had stuck him with Johannes; the records showed that Johannes brought unnecessary attention to their work. There must have been a good reason and the Colonel was beginning to wonder what that reason could be.

Regardless of what stupidity Johannes and his men would get up to the Colonel knew what he had to do and he was intent on doing it in a discreet fashion. He had just purchased one of the greatest antique weapons available, the Magnum .44 revolver. It was a little gift the Illusive Man had given the money to the Colonel to buy for himself as a birthday present. The weapon was old fashioned but would have enough force to diminish weaker kinetic shields on some targets but perhaps not as effective against heavier armours.

The Colonel checked the weapon, loading a round into each of the six chambers before swinging the chamber case back into place. He pushed along the side, hearing it spin around before it stopped and clicked into place, ready to fire. Holstering the weapon inside his coat he rummaged around in another pocket, finding the fibre wire which had proven so effective in the past. All he had to do was find the turian, get him in a secluded little room and choke him to death. Simple as that and chances were no one would give a shit when they finally found the body. Life was so simple when it was dumbed down like this.

The Colonel put the fibre wire away in an easily accessed pocket in his coat and started his way towards the stairs, deciding to check out Flux first. If the turian was still there then chances were the job would be easy and the turian would be out of the organization's way before any other problems came up.

The Colonel made his way through the Wards and past humans, asari, volus and some turians who just happened to be wandering around on their own business. Flux was just in the Upper Wards and a good walk from where the Colonel was now.

When he did enter Flux he found the place packed with patrons, some who were eating, some were dancing and some were spending their life savings on the quasar machines upstairs. Gambling had never appealed to the Colonel although he was no stranger to it, often having played classic casino games back on Earth during his earlier years of military service. Blackjack was about the only one he liked since that game required some skill and counting cards was always a good means of winning more than you lost.

Looking around the Colonel was a little annoyed when he saw the turian, Kynarus Vakarian, was nowhere in sight. He made his way to the bar, looking around the club as he went and attempting to make out Kynarus through the throngs of people. He definitely wasn't here and had probably left when he had seen the Colonel wasn't going to show up on time.

The bartender in service at this time was a salarian and was busy polishing clean a few classes when the Colonel approached. The salarian looked up from his work as the Colonel came, frowning at the human as if he reminded him of someone.

"You must be the guy that turian told me to keep an eye out for," the salarian said unexpectedly. The Colonel felt pleased at this result since now he might be able to find Kynarus and get rid of him.

"I am? Then maybe you can tell me where the turian is," the Colonel said, putting on a typical friendly demeanour. He couldn't stand most aliens and had been surprised when he had been told to hire Kynarus. It had all been to prevent their organization from getting unwanted attention but so far that idea had been effectively flushed down the crapper.

"He left about ten minutes ago with a turian woman," the salarian said, "from what I heard it's a safe bet to assume their having some fun right now. He said he was here to meet someone, you being the guy in the long-coat he mentioned."

"Do you know where he and his girlfriend went?" The Colonel asked, feeling a little annoyed that he had missed out on Kynarus by a mere ten minutes. Perhaps if Johannes hadn't kept him on the communicator for so long he could have found the turian already and completed what he was intent on doing.

"No, I'm afraid not," the salarian replied, "sorry if I'm not much of a help…"  
"It doesn't matter," the Colonel said, realizing he would have to get into contact with Kynarus by some other means, "I'll call him when I get the chance. Thanks for the help."  
"No problem," the salarian said, watching as the human in the long-coat turned around and started on his way out of the nightclub. He was swearing quietly under his breath from what the salarian could tell.

* * *

"Oh, Kynarus…"

Kynarus grunted, able to feel Yelina's warm breath against his neck. She sat astride his legs while Kynarus had his arms wrapped around her, feeling her slender frame with his hands while she rubbed herself furiously against him. He felt her mouth against one of his mandibles, a light touch that sent his heart into a beating frenzy. The feel of her smooth, scaly skin against his own was more than enough to make him climax. Yelina moaned loudly at the peak of her orgasm, breathing heavily where they sat embraced on the bed. She giggled quietly once the pleasure had all but finished, Kynarus letting her fall off of his waist and back down onto the bed in front of him.

It had been about four months since Kynarus had last done this sort of thing and it was good to know his performance hadn't dropped. Rather, it seemed to have improved considerably with all the energy he had been forced to store away for the next time. Now that it was being released he was feeling good about it, making love to some turian girl he had just met but liked nonetheless. It was also good to see that his level of attraction hadn't diminished seeing as this girl had approached him rather than the other way round.

Yelina lay in front of him, looking towards him with her beautiful green eyes. She was smiling and Kynarus felt obliged to return the smile although what he really felt like doing right now was her again.

Katherine kept coming into his mind though and he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for what he was doing. Sure, he and Yelina were the same species but Katherine had a special place in him and they had plenty in common. Yelina, on the other hand, was probably more intent on the physical side of things. Being a male Kynarus didn't care much about this, never one to pass up a good opportunity such as this.

"One more time, lover boy," Yelina said, opening her legs slightly. Kynarus moved over her, hovering above her while he gazed into her eyes, able to smell a sort of sweet perfume emanating from her. When she saw Kynarus' hesitation she seemed to back off a little, able to see the doubt in her lover's face.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, frowning. Kynarus managed a weak grin, putting a hand to her chest and stroking the smooth skin there gently.

"You could say that," he said. He wasn't sure what he was doing was "right" or not, especially since he couldn't help but think about Katherine. To top things off he had been sidetracked from his original intention of finding Heinrich Walstedt, the very person Dieter had mentioned back on Talerian.

Yelina frowned, suddenly a little uncertain of whether she should be in bed with this particular turian or not. Maybe she had been wrong about him and how she figured he had been single although it was hard to tell. He seemed sweet enough save for the fact he carried a container of uppers and downers on him all the time.

"Is it me? Is there something wrong with me?" Yelina sounded a little upset now, sitting up and forcing Kynarus to sit back up as well. He looked at her with some concern, realizing he had just effectively put a dent into the nice passionate moment that they had had going together.

"No, it's not you," Kynarus said. He felt like an idiot for making it so obvious to Yelina that his mind was on other things. He should have just kept going with her, that way he could have avoided embarrassing moments like the one he was having now.

Yelina's upset tone disappeared from her voice although she was looking at Kynarus with some noticeable doubt.

"There's someone else, isn't there?" She asked. She sounded confident enough when she said this, probably having figured out the truth already. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Kynarus didn't have a chance to answer. Rather, a loud and repetitive beeping noise began emanating from somewhere on the floor. Looking around, Kynarus realized it was his communicator which he had been keeping in a pocket on his trousers. Those trousers were lying in a heap on the floor so reaching down without getting ff of the bed; Kynarus searched the pockets and finally found the small communicator, inbuilt into his personal datapad. Yelina looked on with only slight interest while Kynarus dropped the trousers back onto the floor, pressing the necessary key on the datapad for the call to be answered. He held it close to his mouth, noticing that Yelina had proceeded to reach over to the bedside table and start rummaging through one of the drawers there. What she was looking for was beyond Kynarus' knowledge at the moment.

"Who is it?" Kynarus asked, speaking into the communicator part of the datapad. He was surprised to hear the Colonel's thickly accented voice break into the relative silence of Yelina's bedroom.

"_It's the Colonel. We were supposed to meet at Flux. Where were you?"_ The Colonel didn't sound as angry as he was the last time Kynarus had called. Rather, this time around he sounded suitably friendly.

"You were running about half an hour late, as I recall," Kynarus replied with a smug grin, "so I left. Why, do you want to talk to me still?"

"_Of course I do, Kynarus. Why, don't you want your bulky paycheck?"_ The Colonel sounded a little pleased with himself, as if he knew that Kynarus couldn't resist the temptation to get more credits. He was right; Kynarus was a sucker for large amounts of money.

"When and where do you want to meet?" Kynarus asked, his heart skipping a beat when he heard the part about the paycheck. He was still going to get paid for the work he had done by the look of it, which was all the better for him.

"_Tonight, in Chora's Den like our first meeting,"_ the Colonel said, _"come at about eight o'clock. Don't be late."_

"I won't," Kynarus said. The Colonel hung up there and then, leaving his last sentence hanging in the air. Kynarus closed the call and dropped his communicator onto his pants which were lying on the floor, leaving it there as he turned around and found Yelina holding a bag of what looked to be a brown-red powder.

"What the hell is that?" Kynarus asked. Yelina merely smiled at him, tearing open the plastic bag and sniffing at the contents.

"It's popular among humans," she said, "It'll help get you more interested in me."

"By getting me high? Somehow, I doubt it," Kynarus said. He was used to dosing up on stimulants and then depressants, uppers and downers as they were otherwise known. He wasn't used to the human favourites, especially whatever Yelina had pulled out of her bedside drawer. Part of him was curious though, curious to know what it did and what it felt like.

"Don't be so negative," Yelina said, pouring a thin line onto the bedside table, "it'll be great."

"Sitting here and drooling? I don't know…"

Yelina looked at him, shaking her head with what looked to be pity. Without much indication she leaned forward, bringing her nose close to the red powder before covering one nostril and promptly snorting it through the open nostril. Her eyes watered slightly as she turned to face Kynarus, her eyes unable to focus on him.

"Try it Kynarus, you'll like it…" She said, her voice trailing off into some distant corner of the universe which only she inhabited. Kynarus leaned forwards, Yelina forcing the bag of red powder into his hand. She forced it towards her chest, pouring a large clump of it onto her chest. Kynarus leaned forwards uncertainly, doing as Yelina did and putting his face close to it before covering one nostril and snorting most of the clump up. Yelina giggled at him as he did so.

Kynarus snorted the rest up with his other nostril, feeling the red powder make its way through his nasal cavities and into his forehead before goings it own way. His nose burned and his eyes watered but otherwise he felt fine, feeling like a complete idiot for having listened to Yelina in the first place. That was until it kicked in a few seconds later, his being overcome with pure euphoria as the early rush hit. He collapsed onto Yelina, resting his head on her chest as he laid giggling and drooling at nothing in particular. Whatever it was he had just taken it was making him feel great.

* * *

When Kynarus awoke from his self-induced euphoria trip he found that a few hours had passed. The bedroom was still dimly lit save for the light above the bedside table which cast an eerie glow over the room, the artificial sunlight from outside blocked by thick shutters on the windows. Kynarus was still lying with his head resting on Yelina's chest, the pairs proximity having heated up the bed somewhat. The bag of red powder was lying on the bed, mere centimetres from Yelina. It looked strangely appealing but for now Kynarus resisted the urge to grab it and have some more.

Despite the fact long enough had passed for the drug to wear off he still felt a little giddy. He tried focusing and found it took a little effort but otherwise everything about him was fine.

His sudden movements awoke Yelina from her slumber. She eyed him with some noticeable intrigue, her mind still drug addled and muddled by her euphoria trip. She smiled at him, he smiled back. Whatever they had just taken had worn off almost completely.

"Kynarus…You like me, don't you?" Yelina asked, her voice was still distant and her eyes were unable to focus too well on him. Kynarus nodded, of course he liked her otherwise he wouldn't be in bed with her.

"Of course I do," Kynarus said, lifting himself up so he was hovering over her once again. He picked up the bag of red powder and looked at it curiously before placing it onto the bedside table, leaving it there for now while he stared into Yelina's eyes.

Katherine once again came into his mind but this time he was able to put those thoughts aside for now. He had a beautiful girl right in front of him; there was no need to think about any others he might know.

Kynarus put his arms around Yelina, holding her up and close to him. One of his hands went down her leg, feeling its smoothness and every curve it had while he leaned forwards and kissed her on the mouth. She giggled, knowing full well what was coming and so wrapped her arms around him. Kynarus brought himself into her seconds later; feeling her tense beneath him and hearing a subdued moan leave her mouth. Kynarus grunted, unable to quite focus and finding it hard to pace himself as he usually did. Everything now seemed to be more of a dream to him than reality; special thanks going to the mysterious red powder that Yelina had talked him into taking.

Kynarus kept it up, his heart racing as he did so. He let out an involuntary but loud grunt, leaning forward and feeling Yelina's warm body press against his. She shouted something but it was lost to Kynarus during his drug-addled attempt at concentrating on her.

Kynarus removed himself from her once it was all over; his energy almost sapped which gave him an excuse to collapse into bed next to Yelina. She remained lying where she was, breathing heavily but otherwise not saying anything.

"I really need to use the toilet," Kynarus said, climbing out of the bed and starting on his way to the bathroom. He didn't feel at all well now, his head had begun throbbing painfully and every joint of him ached. As soon as he was in the bathroom he collapsed against the bathtub, his energy almost completely gone. He did manage to stand up for long enough to use the toilet before stepping back into the bedroom, trying to keep himself upright while he started putting his trousers back on.

"Leaving so soon?" Yelina asked, rolling onto her side in the bed and looking towards him.

"I have things to do," Kynarus said, looking at the time which was displayed on a computer panel in the wall. It was almost eight o'clock and he'll probably be late for his meeting with Colonel Sommers if he didn't hurry up.

Yelina remained lying in the bed, watching as Kynarus dressed himself casually. He was putting on his top when the door of the apartment opened; causing him to stop in his tracks and look towards the hallway which leads straight to the door.

"Are you expecting anyone now?" He asked although he could see the fear on Yelina's face. There were some unexpected arrivals in the apartment and they probably weren't friends of Yelina's.

Kynarus looked around frantically for his pistol but was unable to find it. Yelina was out of the bed within seconds and picked up a nightgown before running for the bathroom, a familiar figure stepping into the room and dressed in a dark overcoat, matching trousers along with black gloves and a black hat. He looked at Kynarus thoughtfully before directing the two officers behind him towards the bathroom.

"Kynarus Vakarian, I presume?" Dieter asked, eyeing the turian carefully, "I see you've been enjoying yourself while I was away. Well, I guess a man has to have his pleasures sometime…"  
The two officers returned from the bathroom with Yelina in tow. Her gown was on at least but she didn't look too pleased, the two human officers gripping her arms and forcefully pulling her out of the bathroom.

Kynarus only stared at Dieter, watching as the two officers carted Yelina out of the apartment while she struggled in a futile effort.

"We paid her to lure you here, she just didn't think we'd use her against you," Dieter said, obviously referring to Yelina, "so, I suggest you come with me before my men hurt her."

Kynarus realized that it had all been part of Dieter's plan, to put Kynarus into a near defenceless position. They had paid Yelina to bring him to the apartment and probably to seduce him but she hadn't bet on the fact that Dieter and his goons would in turn take her prisoner as well. Kynarus didn't want her to get hurt, she was close to innocent save for the fact she had been paid to lure him here.

Dieter reached into his jacket and pulled out what looked to be a sort of stun pistol. He pointed it squarely at Kynarus who stood his ground in response.

"You lost this one, Vakarian," Dieter said, firing the gun before Kynarus had a chance to reply. The turian landed in a heap on the floor, a sort of metal bolt stuck in his chest but not deep enough to do serious harm. Rather, high voltage bursts of electricity flowed through him, originating from the metal bolt and causing his muscles to tense and contract painfully. He shouted loudly, unable to control his own muscles which forced him to lie in a writhing heap on the floor. Two human soldiers, not the armoured synthetic ones Kynarus had gotten used to shooting, walked in dressed in black light armour suits. They reached down and hoisted him up, one of them pulling the metal bolt of his chest painfully before tying his hands behind his back with a sort of nylon rope.

Kynarus managed one last look at Dieter before he passed out, noticing that the human was smiling. How he wanted to wipe that irritating smile off the human's face.


	14. Relaxation

**Location:** Citadel, Serpent Nebula cluster

Katherine Tyler had been on the Citadel a few times in her life but it wasn't a place she visited just for the fun of it. Usually she only came here if an assignment led her here for whatever reason and it wasn't like she particularly enjoyed being here. The upper areas of the Citadel, known as the 'Presidium' was crawling with C-Sec officers who were mostly turians and humans that had tried their best at putting up with each other's company. It was always amusing to see an argument break out between a turian and a human, today being no different. At the far end of the bar a human officer and a turian officer had started raising their voices, something about whether they should let the petty thief they had caught get off on a light warning or not. The turian wanted him arrested while the human was trying his best to persuade the turian otherwise while the petty thief merely looked on with some amusement.

Katherine had spent the last few hours at the hotel, wandering around and rearranging the furniture in her room while she waited for Kynarus to return. He was certainly taking his time; something which she had figured meant he was doing just more than meeting with some Colonel guy. Regardless it didn't really matter what he was doing, as long as he came back with some answers about what the two had gotten themselves into. She just hoped nothing happened to him, such as getting shot or something…

Now Katherine had moved down to the bar on the ground floor of the hotel, spending her time drinking whatever she wanted that was on the drinks menu. She had also bought herself something to eat, having finished it off some time ago and remained sitting at the bar while twiddling her thumbs. There were a lot of things on her mind, mostly about Kynarus since she couldn't stop thinking about him. This had been the case ever since she had met him it seemed; grateful to him for helping save her life but knowing what she was feeling was more than mere gratefulness. She could see that Kynarus was thinking the same way whenever they were together but neither spoke about it. Neither of them was actually gutsy enough to say anything about how they felt about each other and so the two had developed an easy-going friendship since they had met.

Katherine did feel like telling him how she felt, knowing full well there was something between them developing that was more than a mere friendship. Falling in love with a turian was something she hadn't been expecting which was why she felt a little strange thinking about it, wondering whether it could actually be possible or not. Kynarus seemed the type of ladies man who had probably had his fair share of girlfriends, going through them like toilet paper. How did she know she wouldn't end up the same way? It was a plausible train of thought, thinking that she would just become yet another of the turian's girlfriends that would come and go whenever it suited him. He was probably with another girl right now; it would explain why he was taking so long. Usually if Katherine found out the man she was interested in was with another girl she would usually end up beating the other girl or merely scaring her off. It was usually the fault of the woman, she believed, for seducing her man which meant that if Kynarus was indeed with another girl she would try and locate this girl and scare her off somehow. It wasn't too hard to do, especially if you had a gun on you. A little pistol waving here and the job was done.

Katherine finished her current drink, tapping the empty glass on the bench to get the attention of the human bartender. He walked over, took the empty glass and refilled it before giving it back to Katherine. She nodded in acknowledgment and started drinking again, the beverage a sort of sweet but alcoholic alien drink. Where it was from was something she had no clue about but that didn't matter, just as long as it got her drunk enough that time passed a little more quickly. Hopefully, when she went back up to her room to fall asleep Kynarus would be back when she woke up with a hangover some time later. At least, that's what she was hoping for. She didn't want to wake up and find that Kynarus hadn't returned at all. That would annoy her considerably.

Katherine finished her latest glass of the alien beverage but didn't ask for another, preferring to take a break for a little while and let the alcohol come into effect. She was already feeling a little woozy but it wasn't quite enough to send her to sleep easily.

Sitting back in her seat and looking around she was able to notice that there were more aliens in this bar than humans. That was understandable although this hotel was in fact owned by a human, some old guy who sat in an office on the ground floor somewhere counting his credits. It was a decent enough hotel and cheaper than most without losing any of the little luxuries, such as this decent enough bar and good hotel suites. Kynarus had been low on credits which is why she had chipped in half, finding that she had far more credits than her turian friend. He seemed quite wary of his financial problems, spending as little money as he could whenever possible.

Katherine had been surprised to find that it had been only Kynarus that operated the little frigate he apparently won as a bet or something, he hadn't told her too much about how he had acquired it. For most of his career it had just been him flying the ship with help from the Virtual Intelligence which took the form of a female turian whenever its holographic image appeared. The flight to the Citadel had been mostly automated as soon as they had hit faster than light, the VI controlling all of the systems while the two of them had gone into a sort of lounge area and talked. They shared some stories about themselves during the trip, laughing occasionally and finding that there was really not to much difference between them. They were both mercenaries and they had both served in the military. They both carried scars from former battles, Kynarus showing off a few of his physical scars and in return she had showed him some of hers. It had erupted into a competition soon enough and by that time the two had become sort of drunk from the liquor Kynarus had retrieved from a cabinet in his ship, sharing it between the two. The drunker they got the more they were willing to share about themselves, Kynarus mentioning something about a female turian he once knew who had died in his arms during a firefight at his very last posting before he quit and became a mercenary. He was too drunk to realize but Katherine could see this was probably what had him so trouble, the sort of scarred war veteran who found it difficult to care for others.

Katherine was determined to change his bleak attitude but that would be hard if he spent most of his time somewhere else and nowhere near her. He had probably bought himself the company of one of the Wards many prostitutes; he seemed the type to do such a thing. She felt a little annoyed when she realized this was probably the case, knowing full well that if he was with other women he obviously didn't care as much about her as she did. Maybe that was why she realized she couldn't bring herself to confront him about it, or at least being not gutsy enough to confront him when he returned. He didn't return for another hour and as the time went on Katherine became more and more intent on the belief that maybe Kynarus was spending more than just "time" with a woman.

Katherine got up, feeling outright annoyed that this could be the case and so paid for her food and drinks before leaving the bar. Outside the artificial sunlight provided a somewhat excellent amount of illumination on the pristine white architecture of this part of the Citadel, the computer generated sky overhead giving the illusion that she was in fact on a planet. The illusion didn't work too well when you knew the truth about where you were. She was in fact on just a large space station inside a pink nebula.

The Council tower was in the distance, towering above the rest of the pristine city by a considerable height. It just seemed appropriate the people who ran Citadel space chose the highest point on the station for their seat of governmental power. It seemed all the big-wigs in existence liked to be higher than everybody else in a literal sense, probably because it made them feel superior to the mere "underlings" they controlled.

Katherine started on her way around the hotel, passing a few well-maintained garden beds that provided some sort of green to the sea of white and grey. The civilians here were mostly turians, salarians or humans with the occasional asari hanging around. Right now her current problem was the fact that Dieter and his forces were apparently on the Citadel and probably were if Dieter had survived the firefight Kynarus had told her about back on Talerian. Dieter was always surviving things that other people had trouble getting through, always walking away from a gunfight without a scratch. She had even shot him back on Talerian only for him to reveal he had been wearing some sort of "titanium augmented vest" moments before he returned the favour and shot her. If he had wanted to he would have put the bullet in her brain but he hadn't, something which got him thinking.

Dieter had put the bullet an inch above her heart, almost in the shoulder but not quite. The wound had bled a fair bit but otherwise it was easily treated and something she could walk away from. Dieter had obviously intended for her to survive, maybe because she might still play a part in whatever twisted scheme he had survived or maybe because he liked her…

The last thought was one that made her feel only slightly flattered otherwise she felt downright offended. That lunatic of an Austrian obviously liked her, probably more into the way she looked than anything else. It was natural but because it was Dieter it just gave her a slight case of the creeps when she thought about it. Then again she realized most men wouldn't shoot the woman they liked in the chest so maybe Dieter had merely wanted her out of his way without killing her. It was possible but unlikely.

Katherine entered an open courtyard which ended at one end with a set of railing which prevented anyone stupid enough from falling over the edge and down a ten metre drop into the outdoor area below. The courtyard was currently occupied by a few salarians and a number of humans, most of which were wandering around or standing by the few garden beds and talking. The setting was tranquil to say the least and surprisingly quiet which provided a welcome change from the loud interior of the hotel's bar. The bar had been full of the sounds of talking and not just in English: the native turian tongue and the languages of the salarians had made up part of the raucous noise as well.

Katherine approached one of the benches which were situated just alongside one of the green garden beds. This garden bed itself was populated exotic alien plants, looking to be the types that would be quite expensive if they had been on sale. A large tree protruded from the centre of the garden bed, its leaves a pristine green thanks to the artificial climate the Citadel's systems generated. Sitting herself down on the bench she decided to simply relax, trying to get all the rather irritating thoughts out of her own mind. Kynarus was something she didn't want to stop thinking about; unable to stop picturing him in her mind and wondering how good turians like him were in the sack. She smiled at the thought, knowing full well that if the moment arose for her and Kynarus to take their relationship to the next level she would cheerfully seize it. Another part of the reason why she was grinning was because she had never thought she would end up thinking this way about a turian.

She barely noticed the dark-haired man in the grey coat to sit down at the other end of the bench. It was a bit warm for someone to be wearing such a coat but she didn't really think about this, too deep in her own luscious thoughts to really notice or care.

"Bit hot, don't you think?" The man said suddenly, breaking her train of thought and making Katherine glance at him. The man looked young, perhaps in his mid-thirties. One thing she hoped was that he wasn't trying to flirt with him; she already had enough on her mind about one man than have to worry about another.

"You're the one in the coat," Katherine replied, smiling when she realized how smart that little remark made her sound. The man fell silent, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an e-book which he switched on and began to read. Katherine tried returning to her own thoughts but found it difficult after she noticed the pair of men standing ahead of her, their backs turned while they chatted eagerly. They weren't in coats but they were in C-Sec uniforms, pistols holstered at their waists. Katherine figured they were off duty or merely slacking off of the job, it wasn't uncommon to find this sort of thing happening around the Citadel. Even C-Sec officers got lazy, especially the human ones who weren't so used to the hard work the turian officers put into their job.

A man in a similar coat to the one sitting near her walked past the bench, whistling quietly. She eyed him with some suspicion, the figurative gears in her mind beginning to turn as her imagination started running a little wild. Maybe it was the alcohol that was making her paranoid or maybe it was the gut feeling she had about the men in the coats, the bad vibes she was beginning to feel.

Her so-called "vibes" was a skill that someone like her developed during such a dangerous career like that of a mercenary. She had gotten used to trusting her gut-feelings and the "vibes" she picked up from those around her.

Her eyes darted to the pair of salarians standing a fair distance to her right. They seemed innocent enough, just another two members of the large salarian population on the Citadel. Then again her parents had always told her never to trust any aliens, especially aliens with big black eyes. Salarians fitted into this description quite well but even so she couldn't sense anything "off" about these two.

_You're just paranoid,_ she told herself, _and the alcohol's helping to put you into this state. Maybe you should quit drinking? No, wait; even that's a little far for someone like me._

The man in the coat next to her shifted slightly where he sat. Katherine almost jumped out of her skin but she quickly realized the man had merely reached down to his backside to adjust the underwear he had on underneath which had probably been too tight somewhere. Her gaze shifted to the to C-Sec officers which had turned around, facing her but not actually looking at her. They had started walking, closing in on her before darting off to their right and continuing to walk.

Meanwhile the other man in a coat had stopped at the end of the garden bed, pulling out a can of soda from one of his coat's pockets and pulling the tab on the top of the can. It hissed open, the noise enough to make Katherine jump slightly.

_Why the hell would you have coats on in this weather?_

_No, that's just being paranoid. They're just ordinary people, they're not out to kill you. They're not surrounding you and they're not carrying weapons under their coats…_

Katherine stood up, taking in the positions of the humans that were scattered throughout the courtyard. One was right near her, sitting on the bench and reading from the e-book without even looking at her. The other was down the end of the garden bed, just a few metres to her right. He was standing and sipping from the can of soda, their gazes meeting. He nodded to her and she returned the favour, figuring she may as well show some common courtesy until she figured out whether these guys were threats or not.

The two C-Sec officers had stopped at the other side of the garden bed, standing several metres behind where she sat and talking in loud but normal voices. They seemed to be talking about the recent movies they had seen, one of which sounded like a typical big budget action movie that had come out at the beginning of the month to much critical acclaim. Apparently it was the fourth remake of _Total Recall_, updated to suit the times of the 22nd century.

_These guys are harmless_, she assured herself while letting her guard down slightly. She went to sit down again, figuring she may as well stay a little while longer while she took in the serenity of the courtyard around her. It was quieter than any inhabited planet she had been on and definitely better than the restaurant she had spent her lunch in during her last day on Talerian. That planet was a shitty little backwater that none of the other species cared about, garnering itself a few sentences for a description in the galactic planetary database that was open to the public.

As she sat back down she heard a click from somewhere behind her. It was only quiet and perhaps only audible in the silence of the courtyard where the sounds of the sprawling metropolis on the Citadel were strategically blocked out. She turned around and saw as the two C-Sec officers drew their weapons, flicking the settings on their pistols from "safety" to something more dangerous.

Katherine knew she had been right all along about the other people in the courtyard. Her adrenaline kicked in and her heart started thumping in her chest as she dived onto the ground, hearing a pair of pistol shots echo through the courtyard. Immediately the two salarians nearby made a run for it while the man sitting at the end of the bench stood up, throwing his e-book aside and opening his coat. Katherine looked up and saw a shotgun had been hidden underneath. The man in the coat pulled it off of the latch that had been connecting it to the armour vest he had been wearing underneath and brought the weapon to bear, beading down on the seemingly defenceless Katherine lying on the ground near him.

Katherine didn't hesitate to react, kicking with her left leg at the gunman's legs and knocking them out from underneath him. The man grunted and fell, his shotgun clattering onto the pavement and into reach of Katherine. She picked it up and swivelled around where she lay, seeing that the other coated man had pulled out an assault rifle and was about to fire.

Katherine was quicker, firing the shotgun and watching as the man crumpled into a heap in the garden bed. He landed face first in the grass, his vest almost useless against the armour-piercing rounds that the shotgun had been loaded with.

Getting up Katherine saw the pair of C-Sec officers (although she highly doubted that's what they actually were) running for cover. The plan of these four gunmen had obviously gone awry and now the remaining ones knew they had a firefight on their hands. Katherine instinctively fired her shotgun at one of the officers, the shots missing but managing to make him run faster into cover.

Next to her the first man in a coat was slowly getting onto his feet. He reached down to his ankle and lifted up the trouser leg there, revealing a shiny silver commando knife which was held in place there. He pulled it free of the bonds that held it and he lunged at Katherine, the blade slicing through the air near her stomach and forcing her to back away. It was only a few seconds later the stinging pain registered and looking down she saw the blade had cut through her clothes with ease, slicing a superficial but bloodied gash just beneath where he belly button was.

Katherine pointed the shotgun at the knife-wielding man in a coat and fired just as he rose onto his feet, the blade held high and ready to swipe with it again. She watched coldly within the next few seconds as the point blank shot effectively decapitated the gunman, blood and bits of brain spraying all over her jacket and undershirt. She suddenly felt sick as she watched the man's headless body fall to the floor, blood squirting out in jets from the ruptured arteries before reducing to nothing more than slow ooze.

Shooting from her left averted her attention back to the two fake C-Sec officers (although they could be real but corrupt officers, she had no idea) that had taken cover behind two of the benches ahead. Katherine fired at the one that had been daring enough to lean over the metal park bench and fire at her, forcing that officer back into cover while she started on her way towards the courtyard's exit.

All would have been good once she got out of here and found Kynarus. At least, she was thinking that when she saw the four men in C-Sec uniforms coming into the courtyard using the way she had come. For a second she thought they were here to investigate the weapons fire but this thought quickly disappeared when she saw them raising their pistols, firing in her direction as they ran into the courtyard.

Being fired on from both her front and from behind Katherine decided her best bet was to get out of the courtyard by some other means. Looking around she saw that the only other way out was through a metal door in a wall to her left. Running towards there she took cover behind the pillars under the small section of shade that ran across the length of the building, weapons fire leaving scorch marks and holes on the walls behind her as she sprinted towards the door. Arriving at the door she quickly tried the glowing panel to its left, finding that it was locked shut. There was no time to attempt a bypass so rather than stand still and get flanked by the fake C-Sec officers she decided to head for the sets of metal barriers that ran across the far side of the courtyard. That involved running across open ground, something which she would usually avoid whenever possible.

The four C-Sec officers had run out into the courtyard, scattering and shooting in her general direction. Katherine had no idea who these people were and way they would want to kill her but then again plenty of people wanted her dead. This sort of thing shouldn't be coming as a surprise but she was still uncertain of who these corrupt C-Sec officers were working for or even if they were C-Sec officers at all. There were no turians in the mix, just humans which may be one sign that maybe they weren't actually C-Sec officers.

Katherine put her shotgun in her left hand and used her right to remove her much more accurate pistol. She needed something accurate to cover the distances across the courtyard and hopefully take out some of these guys easier rather than blasting at them with an inaccurate shotgun. Targeting one of the officers she fired a few times, watching him drop to the floor and feeling some satisfaction at the way they were going down so easily. C-Sec uniforms didn't really provide much protection from weapons fire; they were more just for show and to alert people to the fact that the men in these uniforms worked for C-Sec.

Katherine started running across the courtyard, weapons fire zipping through the air close to her. Small sections of pavement near her feet exploded upwards when stray shots connected and a sudden singe of pain across her left arm made her drop the shotgun. She glanced at her arm, seeing that a large gash had been shot into it from a round that had nicked her. Diving onto the ground she avoided another volley of pistol fire and instead ran for the cover of the metal garbage bin nearby.

She was closing in on her goal, almost having made it to the railing at the other side of the courtyard. It was only about as high as her chest and easily climbed it was just that these C-Sec officers were shooting at her and impeding her progress somewhat.

The six officers were scattered and all were within some sort of cover although there wasn't much inside the courtyard. Some had gone low in the garden beds while others were crouched behind the metal park benches dotted around the courtyard. Katherine ignored the rounds glancing off of the metal on the front side of the metal garbage bin while she leaned around the side, popping off a few shots at one of the officers standing by a tree in a garden bed up ahead. He fell onto the ground seconds later, the shots having blown a sizeable chunk out of his chest.

Katherine didn't like the amount of fire she was receiving and figured that if she exposed herself she would probably end up cut down within seconds. That was until a pair of turians in C-Sec armour outfits appeared at the entrance to the courtyard, their weapons raised as they opened fire on the corrupt or fake human C-Sec officers. Katherine watched with some amusement as the two sides began fighting it out, the two turians heading into cover as they managed to cut one of the human C-Sec officers down with their assault rifles.

The confusion that followed took the fire of the human C-Sec officers off of her. She got up, seizing her chance for a getaway and running towards the railing, pausing to look down. It wasn't too high a fall but still enough to damage someone's ankle if they landed in an awkward fashion. The garden bed below would help to cushion her fall, far better than landing on solid pavement.

Katherine's thoughts about her intention to jump were interrupted when a few rounds pinged off the metal railing close to her. She quickly climbed over the railing, launching herself off of the edge and free-falling for about a second or two before landing with a dull _thud_ in the dirt. She ended up falling forwards into the moist, fertile soil and thus effectively ruined her clothes for today.

She lay where she was for a few seconds, gathering her senses before getting up. Looking back up to the courtyard balcony she saw that no one had bothered to give chase just yet, this allowing her to take a quick breather before she started running again.

Looking down at herself she saw that she was covered in brown dirt, the stuff clinging to her clothes and all over her face. She swore at her bad luck and knowing full well she would have to have a shower the next chance she got. Now though she had other things to worry about, especially when the several rounds tore through the air near her and hit the dirt near her feet. Looking up at the edge of the balcony she saw two of the human C-Sec officers had run over and began firing at her while the other officers were probably still trying to eliminate the two turian interlopers.

Katherine raised the pistol which she still had gripped in her right hand and returned fire, managing to hit one of the officers. His body leaned forwards and over the railing, falling free from the balcony thanks to gravity and landing with a dull _thump_ in the dirt near Katherine. She ignored the body and started running, ignoring the sporadic weapons fire from the other officer as she started around the nearest building with the intention of getting out of his line of fire.

She came around the side of what looked to be a small shopfront, catching a few glances from the few pedestrians there were. Most had started on their way to check out all the noise coming from the courtyard, perhaps figuring that Katherine had something to do with it since she was holding a pistol and was running through the streets with little regard to whoever might get in her way.

Katherine stuck her pistol into her belt at her back, hiding it from view underneath her jacket and decreasing her chances of being looked upon with suspicion.

She stopped running when she reached the street's corner, stopping and leaning against a nearby pole to catch her breath. Looking around she saw that she had entered a more populated area of the street and seemed to be getting her fair share of glances from the salarians and turians that walked past, perhaps curious as to why she was so dirty. She didn't care too much about what they might think of her, concentrated on figuring out what had just happened and why it had.

It was obvious those six C-Sec officers hadn't actually been C-Sec officers. The two turians that had arrived and inevitably helped her with her escape had probably been the real thing although she couldn't work out who the two men in coats had been. Perhaps the whole thing had been a setup and perhaps there were spies in the hotel, people watching her and formulating some method of getting rid of her. They could have been Dieter's men but she somehow doubted this fact, thinking that maybe they might have something to do with whoever Kynarus had encountered back on Talerian and the people who had attacked the clinic back on that planet.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…" She couldn't help but feel angry, swearing for no apparent reason under her breath while she stood trying to regain some of her energy. She looked like a mess when she looked up and saw her reflection in the window of the small shop in front of her. Her best bet was to head back to the hotel room, regardless if there were spies there or not and have a shower as well as try and get in touch with Kynarus. Maybe this had been a one-off; maybe those people weren't aware of her having a room in the hotel. Or maybe they did know and maybe there was a trap waiting for her back in her suite, it was hard to work out what might be waiting for her there. Besides, Kynarus could return and fall into the very trap laid for her. She couldn't let that happen and so went for her communicator which she thought was in a pocket in her jacket, finding her pockets empty and remembering she had left it back in the hotel room. She swore loudly this time, the turian walking past her gave her a suspicious glance before walking on.

She decided to head back to her hotel room. Whatever was waiting for her there was something she would have to handle herself, even if it meant going to an unnecessary risk. If there was no one there or no traps she could probably have a shower without trouble. If there was someone there or a bomb rigged to detonate in her suite then she would just have to be extra careful, especially if there was some sort of booby trap. She had limited experience with explosives but she had a feeling that whoever wanted her dead wasn't stupid enough to put a bomb in a public place. This was the Citadel after all, such an act wouldn't go unnoticed for very long.

This was another thing she realized could benefit her. No one that wanted her dead would do anything fairly noticeable while she was here on the Citadel; it was far too risky and would bring unwanted attention to those vying to take her out. She could rely on her wannabe killers to be a little more discreet as the previous firefight had proven: the men in the coats had been the ones to kill her, the man next to her probably the primary assassin while the other man in a coat had been the secondary one. The C-Sec officers had been mere backup and probably paid large sums of money by whoever wanted her dead and not actually directly working for this scheming person. It all made sense this way. Well, at least it did when she thought about it like this. Now there was no time to waste if she was going to get to the hotel and find out whether or not there was a "surprise" waiting for her.

* * *

The hotel suite was dark, the shutters drawn over the windows and effectively blocking any light from coming in from outside. This had been the way Katherine had left it before heading down to the bar; having spent a couple of hours napping on the couch in the dark after Kynarus had left. She knew all too well that the dark often hid things that killed people. These things were hardly ever "monsters" that a young kid may think exists in the dark but merely other people, occasionally people who could be considered "monsters" for the things they've done and the things they might do. It was unsurprising that Katherine would run into one inside the suite but right now she had just opened the door, peering inside with caution while keeping alert to her surroundings. Her pistol was still in her belt at her back, easily reached and grabbed if she needed it.

The suite was quiet as well as the corridor outside of the room. The trouble with the Citadel, it seemed, was that so many places on it were quiet. This hotel was no different, the noisiest place in the building being the bar downstairs. The rooms were all quiet with the occasional sound of an entertainment vid or news broadcast filtering from one of the rooms nearby or the occasional argument between people sharing rooms or even neighbours.

Stepping inside, Katherine went for the light switch rather than announce her presence by telling the lights to switch on. Strangely enough she couldn't find the switch in the darkness, deciding to forget it for now and move further into the familiar hotel suite. She squinted in the darkness, the only light coming from the door into the corridor behind her and the thin streams of sunlight snaking in through the gaps around the shutters that were down over the windows. She could make out the shapes of furniture, moving her way through the lounge area as she tried to find her way through the dim light.

The door that went into the corridor closed suddenly, Katherine turning around and seeing that she was now enveloped in darkness. It seemed safe to assume that the door had simply closed by itself, it was an automatic door after all but there was something she didn't think was right about the whole situation. Her gut feeling was telling her she should just grab her communicator off of the desk in the bedroom and leave the hotel for good that way she could call Kynarus and organize somewhere else for them to meet.

She stepped into the dark bedroom, finding her way to the desk by the wall on her left. Feeling around a bit she found her communicator, sticking it into a pocket on her jacket and turning around. She could check out of the hotel easily but she knew that every move she made would probably be watched by someone. The Citadel was definitely not a safe place for her to be in right now and this was something she intended on telling Kynarus the next time they met.

She turned around, almost jumping back in surprise when she saw the figure standing in the doorway of the bedroom. He was of large build, his broad shoulders almost taking up the full doorway. It was dark and his face was hidden but there was no mistaking the shape of the gun she could see clutched in his right hand.

A confident sounding voice twinged with a South African accent came from the figure as he stepped forwards, his pistol still clutched tightly in his right hand while behind him the shapes of two armoured figures waited behind.

"Lights—on," the South African said, the room filling with sudden illumination. It took Katherine's eyes a moment to adjust, scorch marks flaring across her vision briefly as she looked around and summed up her options. She could always flee into the bathroom and through the window there seeing as the only exit of the bedroom was blocked by these three armoured and armed people. The man in front with the pistol and South African accent was watching her closely, his blue eyes scanning her figure for any sign of a weapon. Of course he was oblivious to the fact her pistol was stuck into her belt at her back, hidden underneath her brown-red jacket.

"Who the hell are you?" Katherine asked, figuring she should try stalling these guys for a while. That would give her some valuable time to work something out, perhaps formulating an escape plan form this seemingly inescapable spot of trouble.

The South African man grinned, showing a set of pearly white teeth that were perfectly aligned. They were probably all artificial seeing as teeth care these days was pointless. If your teeth fell out just get some new, even stronger ones fitted for a fairly reasonable price. Katherine was no stranger to this kind of thing and neither was most of the human race.

"I'm someone you don't want to get on the wrong side of," the South African said with some amusement, "you see my boss and me figure you know a little too much…"

"Too much about what?" Katherine asked, frowning at the man's remark. She wasn't quite able to work out what he was talking about but thought that maybe it had something to do with the mysterious package. She knew hardly anything about it and she had no idea of its true whereabouts save for the one lead Kynarus had spent so long away from the hotel looking into: the lead that mentioned something about someone called Heinrich Walstedt who was apparently here on the Citadel. Whoever he was he was important enough to have gone into hiding.

"Don't play games with me woman," the South African said, the grin dropping from his face and being replaced with a malevolent frown, "you know exactly what I'm talking about. Now tell me what you know and chances are I might let you live a little longer, huh? How's that sound?"

_Sounds shitty_, Katherine thought but didn't think saying what she thought was the best option in this sort of situation. This South African guy obviously seemed a little on edge and he had a gun pointed at her, probably capable of gunning her down without hesitation.

"I don't know anything," Katherine said, telling what mostly the truth was. She wasn't abut to tell them about the only lead she and Kynarus had but otherwise she was telling the truth to him and probably stalling this guy a little longer.

"You know something, Miss Tyler," the South African said, sounding a little agitated and probably not believing Katherine's response to his prompts in any way whatsoever, "otherwise you wouldn't have come all this way to the Citadel to find out more about it, you know? You're here for a reason, you and your turian boyfriend. Now tell me, what do you know?"

_Turian boyfriend?_ She frowned at the thought, knowing that the South African was referring to Kynarus. _He was probably right about the "boyfriend" part._

Something registered in her mind, something that could probably give her the upper hand in this seemingly one-sided argument. The South African wanted to know what she knew and why she had come to the Citadel which was implying that perhaps the South African and his "boss" didn't know and that she was their only lead.

"How come you know my name?" Katherine asked, "I don't know yours…"  
"Cerberus knows a lot about you, Miss Tyler," the South African said without realizing he had just given her another piece of information to work with, "you ever heard of us? I'd be surprised if you hadn't…"

Katherine had heard of them. In fact, the ill-fated mission in whom she had been captured by the "Earthen Knights" some years before was in fact something directly related to the organization. The "Earthen Knights" had merely been Cerberus operatives who had gotten a little unruly and rogue. That was why she and her squad were sent to take care of them. The whole operation had been organized by the Cerberus big-wigs that didn't like the fact some of their agents had gone rogue.

Cerberus was an outlawed paramilitary organization with agents in every aspect of the Alliance, from civilian to the government and even in the highest ranks of the military. There was no telling who was an agent or not but their goals were the same: they wanted to make humanity superior to its alien rivals and would probably have plans of enslaving the other races as well. Cerberus folks were all human and all of those humans despised aliens although they were never afraid to remove some human "obstacles" as well.

Katherine knew she had been deemed such an "obstacle" but she know had a good idea of why this South African hadn't shot her yet. He wanted to know why she was on the Citadel and whether it had to do with the package, which it did. This meant that Cerberus wanted the package but had no clue as to its whereabouts and that she and Kynarus were their only leads.

"I've heard about you people," Katherine said with some noticeable distaste, "you're all just a bunch of psychos."

The South African managed a hearty chuckle in response to this remark, the pistol in his hand still trained on Katherine. He eyed her with some amusement, stopping with his chuckling and frowning.

"That's what most people would think, Miss Tyler," the South African said, "but those people, such as you, do not know about the marvellous cause we are pursuing."

"Would that cause be total domination over every other race?" Katherine asked, a hint of a smile creeping onto her lips. Despite her obviously hazardous situation she couldn't help but find it funny how these Cerberus people thought of themselves as the ones doing what was right for humanity. Most were zealots who were too deep in their own beliefs to listen to anyone else's reason. This South African guy looked no different from all the other Cerberus lunatics she had run into over the years.

The South African man laughed again but it was short-lived since his gaze was back on Katherine and had returned to its usual malevolence.

"You make it sound so terrible, putting it like that," the man said, "while in reality we're just trying to make the galaxy a better place for the human race. Right now humans are subjected to all sorts of mistreatment from the other races and humanity's pleas for help are often ignored by the other species. Our organization plans to change all of that and perhaps even put the other races in a substantially inferior position…"  
"Good luck with that," Katherine replied, smiling. She could see her attempts at stalling him were working since the South African man had started rambling on about how the Cerberus group was such a good thing for humanity and how the alien races would get their comeuppance for years of mistrust and ignorance of the human race. Katherine didn't like the way the South African man was so confident in the way he was talking about it, making it sound like that Cerberus had always succeeded in their goals or were close to doing so. It made her feel a bit nervous, perhaps uneasy at the thought that she had had no idea about the organization's current plans.

"What has Dieter got to do with all of this?" Katherine asked although it was clear enough to work out the answer herself. Dieter was obviously in charge of a rival party aiming to get the package themselves, which lead her to another question…

"No, even better: what's in the package you people are after?" Katherine asked, her gaze shifting to the pistol that the South African man was still pointing at her. He managed a quick laugh at her when he heard her questions, seeing something funny about them.

"I'm the one asking the questions, Miss Tyler," The South African man replied, "you're the one who's supposed to be answering them. Now, I think you should stop wasting my time and just tell me what I want to know…"

_You're the one who's wasting _my_ time_, Katherine thought. Her hand was going towards her back, subtlety and slowly. She pretended to scratch at her waist there, noticing that the tension she saw in the South African man drastically decreased. He obviously trusted her to some extent seeing as she wasn't carrying a weapon in immediate view. Behind him the two soldiers stood waiting, their gazes not even on Katherine and instead were looking around the inside of the apartment. Their lack of interest in the conversation would be their downfall.

"Hey," Katherine said suddenly, the South African man unable to continue talking, "I think my turian boyfriend's here…" She was lying of course but she did look past the South African man's shoulder and towards the closed door at the far end of the lounge. She saw the man lower his pistol as he turned around and the two soldiers behind him shifted their gaze that way as well.

_Gullible idiots_, she thought while she pulled her pistol free of her belt and brought it around to her front. She raised it just as the South African man turned around, raising his pistol when she saw what she was doing.

Katherine pulled the trigger on her weapon, the pistol recoiling slightly when she fired. The muzzle flash was small but the way the South African reacted was quite noticeable. He shouted loudly, swearing in what sounded like Afrikaans before dropping his pistol and clutching at his right hand with his left. He fell onto his knees, holding his wounded right hand to his face and surveying the damage caused. His third finger was missing and his middle finger hung loosely on a single thread of flesh, blood oozing out of the wounds and down his arm.

Katherine kicked with her left leg seconds later, her foot connecting with the side of his head and sending him into the floor. He didn't get back up; presumably unconscious although she had no time to think about this when she saw the two soldiers react, bringing their rifles up. She swung with her left arm, knocking the one on her left in the face and sending him into the nearby set of drawers. The unit of drawers fell over as he hit them, some of the drawers falling out and their contents spilling onto the floor. Katherine stuck her pistol into the other soldier's gut and fired three times, ignoring the slight spray of blood that went onto her clothes and instead pushed the dying soldier aside. He crumpled into a heap on the floor to her right and inadvertently left the way clear for her to leave the hotel suite.

She took a deep breath, surveying her handiwork. The sounds of running pairs of feet in the corridor outside and some shouts was enough to get her moving again, Katherine racing out into the corridor and starting in the opposite direction to the shouts and footfalls. Now she knew that Cerberus was after her and Kynarus and she knew that the Citadel was one place that was no longer safe for her or her turian friend to stay on. Wherever Kynarus had been for the last few hours was unknown to her but she was hoping that Cerberus hadn't gotten him as well.

Katherine made it outside, her muscles aching from all the energy she had expended and inclining her to sit down on the sidewalk while she tried to catch her breath. She figured she would be safe for now before more Cerberus morons showed up. This was enough of a reason to send her drifting off into sleep, partly from the alcohol she had consumed earlier and partly from the fact she had almost worn herself out during the firefight in the courtyard. She would call Kynarus when she woke up, whenever that happened. Now, though, all she needed to do was get some well deserved shut-eye and hope no pedestrians decided to wake her up.


	15. Interrogation

**Location:** Somewhere in the Citadel's maintenance tunnels, on the Citadel

"I think he's waking up…"

The first voice Kynarus heard as he came to was that deep, guttural tone of a krogan. It was unmistakable and definitely something he did not enjoy hearing as he awoke. His eyes were unable to adjust to the dimly lit conditions, everything before him appearing as a sort blur.

"Give him more reason to wake up, Kalax," a familiar voice said from somewhere in the darkness. Kynarus squinted, he couldn't see anything around him although he realized he was upright while his arms were above him, his wrist held together at the same point by what felt like metal handcuffs.

He wasn't ready for the blow that connected with his bare stomach. Kynarus grunted as his stomach churned in a sickening manner, the air rushing out of him and leaving his winded for a moment. He struggled to catch his breath, taking shallow breaths as he tried to work out where he was. His vision was still blurred but he could make out the large armoured figure standing in front of him.

The krogan lowered its shotgun, having slammed the butt of it into the turian's chest with some noticeable satisfaction. The krogan's skin was a yellow-brown, his eyes a deep and malevolent red. This was no doubt the krogan that Kynarus had run into at the office complex back on Talerian and had no doubt survived the sudden attack by the armoured human soldiers. It would probably take a whole platoon of human soldiers to take out eight and a half feet of scaled muscle, especially since Kynarus could remember the biotic abilities this krogan had wielded.

"Can you hear me, Kynarus?" The same voice, tinged with that accent that Kynarus had gotten used to hearing. The voice came from the darkness behind the krogan, a mocking and somewhat cold voice that made the owner of it sound as if he enjoyed seeing Kynarus in this position.

The turian's eyesight fixed itself up to a reasonable standard, allowing him to take in his immediate surroundings and the krogan in the black suit of armour standing in front of him. The krogan's name was Kalax from what he had heard the voice say, not that the name of the krogan really mattered right now. Instead, Kynarus was in quite a vulnerable position.

He racked his memory for what had happened prior to his capture by Dieter, remembering the time he had spent with the young, female turian named Yelina. She didn't seem to be anywhere in view but even so she could be in the dark, probably shackled to the low ceiling like he was. Kynarus looked up, seeing as it wasn't handcuffs that were holding him but thick steel chains that hung from the ceiling. He looked down at himself, able to see that he was in only his trousers and they were soaking wet, clinging to his scaly skin and feeling surprisingly tight. It could have been worse since Dieter could have easily had him stripped completely.

Kynarus remembered how Dieter had simply waltzed into the bedroom back at Yelina's apartment, revealing to him how Yelina had been a mere lure to get him into the trap. He felt a little betrayed by the young turian's obvious part in the little setup and also felt annoyed at how stupid he could have been to fall into such a trap. What had he been thinking? If a woman approached him and not the other way round then it was obviously too good to be true, Yelina having proved that today.

He remembered the effect of the stun gun all too well and this alerted his senses to the familiar smell emanating from his trousers. He had wet himself, his bladder unable to cope with the electrical charge and had simply emptied itself while he had been unconscious. It wasn't water that was making his trousers stick to him and this was enough of a thought to make him feel considerably embarrassed.

He noticed that all of his muscles were aching in some way and that his head was throbbing. Either it was from the electrical shocks he had received or from the red sand he had snorted prior to being captured, he had no idea. He did know he felt like some more of that stuff, feeling that creeping urge to go and find himself some before snorting it all completely.

_No, you're being stupid! That's the first sign of addiction, you know, feeling like more of something and succumbing to the temptation. Especially with that red sand. Don't you know what that stuff does to its human users?_

No matter what he told himself he still had that urge, that craving to have another hit of the mysterious red sand. He had only heard some little facts about it here and there but he did know that many humans seemed to be quite into it, snorting a whole packet's worth within a day. Part of him didn't want to end up like that but another part of him realized it would probably end up happening to him.

This wouldn't be the first time he had become somewhat addicted to a human drug. Every other time he had managed to shake off the addiction, even going to the length of locking himself inside an empty storage cabinet on his frigate and telling his ship's VI not to let him out until it was certain he had been purged of whatever substance he had been "experimenting" with. He had spent days inside one of the cabinets on more than one occasion, slamming his head against the walls and puking in a corner while whimpering quietly. It was all for his own good though, he knew that much.

Now he probably had to do that again. This would all be thanks to Yelina, the young female turian that had been quite eager to get into bed with him. He didn't mind that fact but now she had introduced him to a potentially addictive drug and already he could feel himself burning for some more.

"Say something Kynarus, that way I know you're listening," Dieter's voice said from the shadows ahead. The krogan, Kalax, eyed him closely and with some noticeable hatred. Sure, the krogans had good reason to hate the turians but Kynarus had personally done nothing to this particular krogan.

Sure, Kynarus' race had been the ones to release the genophage but he didn't see why this particular krogan had to hate him so much. The genophage may be sending their population into a quick and uncontrollable decline but Kynarus was yet to hurt Kalax.

Kynarus looked around, trying to work out where he was. He was hanging from a set of chains above him which were holding him up by the wrists in some sort of wide tunnel. The whole place was dark save for the few sparse LED lights in the ceiling, positioned at long intervals down the length of the tunnel. The sound of dripping water could be heard from somewhere nearby, Kynarus able to see the many pipes that winded along the walls and the ceiling. This place was obviously in the bowels of the sprawling metropolis that was the Citadel and probably provided water to thousands of citizens. These tunnels were for maintenance purposes, the maintenance workers and their drones coming through here and fixing any leaky pipes.

"Say something bird boy," Dieter said from the shadows, his voice taking on an impatient sounding tone, "I haven't got all day."

"Should I hit him again boss?"

_Please don't_, Kynarus thought but the look on the krogan's face was enough to send all hope about not getting hit again right out of the turian. Dieter didn't reply from his position in the tunnel's shadows and the krogan slammed the butt of the shotgun into Kynarus again except this time the blow wasn't into his stomach but somewhere far more sensitive…

Kynarus screamed loudly, a nauseating feeling washing through him as pain shot through his groin and then the rest of his body. He writhed where he hung, his feet only just touching the floor. His vision wavered momentarily and his head throbbed painfully but otherwise the turian calmed down, trying his best to ignore the nagging pain at his privates and concentrating his gaze in the direction from where Dieter's voice was coming from.

The krogan, Kalax, seemed mightily amused at the result of his last blow and was smiling, baring jagged but white incisors that looked capable of tearing through the flesh of most creatures. He figured Kalax wouldn't hesitate if he had a chance to eat a turian, figuring the meat was best not to go to waste. However, it seemed Dieter had other ideas.

"I don't want to have to hurt Yelina," Dieter said, adding extra emphasis on the young female turian's name at the end of the sentence. Kynarus looked around again, hearing a whimper from his right.

He turned his head, able to see Yelina hanging in a similar position as he was. She was still dressed in her nightgown but that usual outgoing personality was gone. Instead her head was down and she seemed to be crying although it was hard to tell in the dim light. She didn't even look up and Kynarus felt a pang of anger at what she had lured him into before realizing that she was also at the mercy of the sick Dieter Sturlmann and his krogan goon. His anger turned to pity and then into determination: he didn't want Dieter or any of his goons harming Yelina, even if he hardly knew her and even though she had accepted a bribe from Dieter.

"Don't you touch her," Kynarus said, shifting his gaze back towards the shadows. He could just make out Dieter's figure, silhouetted against a dim light and with a smoking cigarette held between two of the fingers of his right hand. He put it to his mouth, puffing lightly and sending a thin trail of smoke into the dank air of the maintenance tunnel. His features were invisible in the darkness but Kynarus sensed a malevolent grin form on the human's face.

"Good to see you're actually talking, Kynarus," Dieter said, taking a step out of the shadows and revealing himself in the light. He was in his usual dark jacket and matching clothing as well as the authoritative cap he wore, emblazoned with the insignia of a large bird of prey spreading its wings. Kynarus had no idea what the insignia was supposed to represent and if it actually meant anything but even if it did it didn't matter right now.

"How do you know my name?" Kynarus asked, rattling at the chains that held his arms together. He was in no position to start trying anything fancy but his mind was going into overtime while he tried to figure a way out of the obvious mess he had gotten himself into. He also smelt like urine which also gave him another reason to try and escape: if he escaped he could get himself some new trousers.

Dieter raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised at the question. Obviously Dieter expected Kynarus to think of him as someone with considerable more intelligence than originally suspected but of course the turian wasn't about to give him that satisfaction.

"You think I wouldn't try and learn as much about my opponent as possible before meeting them again?" Dieter asked, sounding like a sort of old-fashioned army general in the way he was speaking.

"You're obviously mistaken, my turian friend," Dieter said, Kalax stepping aside obediently as he approached Kynarus until his face was mere inches away from the turian's. The turian was still taller by several inches and so Kynarus still had to gaze down into Dieter's cold, calculating eyes while Dieter gazed up into Kynarus' brilliant blue eyes.

"I'm a man who likes to learn the ins and outs of his enemies," Dieter said, turning around and beginning to pace back and forth across the width of the tunnel while he held the smoking cigarette in his right hand, "I learnt quite a bit about you, Kynarus Vakarian. I know you're history, I know we're you're from and I know everything about your immediate family. Not that you have much to do with them these days, eh Kynarus?"

Dieter turned around so he was facing the turian again, smiling when he saw the hateful expression Kynarus shot at him. The human placed the cigarette to his mouth once more and blew, sending smoke into Kynarus' face and causing the turian's eyes to start watering.

"You were born on Palaven, youngest of two sons. You never knew your mother; she died when giving birth to you because of complications during the procedure. Your father raised the two of you on his own, forcing a strong public service ethic into his two sons but seeming to do a rather crappy job when it came your turn to join C-Sec, just like your older brother Garrus had a few years before. Instead, you went off to pursue an exciting career in the military."

Dieter added the last part with some noticeable sarcasm, spilling out details of Kynarus' life that had obviously been pulled out of confidential files. It annoyed Kynarus how little he knew about Dieter and how much the human knew about him, showing off this new knowledge with reckless abandon but with considerable satisfaction. Dieter paused briefly, seeing the furious expression Kynarus gave but knowing full well the turian could do nothing about it.

"In your second year of full-time service you helped defend a human colony against attack by a force of mixed-species insurgents," Dieter continued, dropping the smoking cigarette butt from his hand and crushing it under one booted foot, "you were hailed as a war hero, won a few medals and promotions but surprisingly you shied away from the limelight, instead opting for a quieter posting on a backwater world.

"Unsurprisingly that quiet post ceased being quiet when a force of what was later discovered to be Cerberus soldiers raided a laboratory facility before attacking the turian military base you were posted at. Prior to this you had pursued an intimate relationship with a female member of the soldier contingent posted there and you seemed awfully broken up when she died from several chest wounds in your arms."

Kynarus felt the anger welling up inside him and wanted to lash out at the smug human. He wanted to bash the human's face until it was nothing but a bloody red pulp, perhaps following it up by tearing out the human's vocal chords so he couldn't utter a single word again. Somehow though Kynarus knew that wouldn't be happening anytime soon, seeing as how Dieter had him chained up and in a vulnerable position. It was such a position that it made it impossible to not be able to listen to what Dieter was saying, speaking aloud details of his life that had once only been known to the higher ups and his brother and father.

Kynarus had also had no idea about the forces that had attacked Hallian seven years ago and killed Lalias. He had always figured they had been human terrorists but now with Dieter's insight it seemed they had been the same Cerberus people that had planted the false package.

"You quit the military soon after and pursued a career of paid, freelance work. In other words, you became a mercenary. From then on you lived high-life for a while, getting plenty of money and killing plenty of people before drugs and alcohol got the better of you. Now you're nothing but a washout."

These words further angered the turian and he tried moving closer to the human, tried kicking but found his legs were held back by the surly krogan standing near him. Dieter stood without even batting an eyelid as the turian tried lashing out.

"Don't try anything, Kynarus," Dieter said with a grin, "I wouldn't want you to get hurt anymore than you have to. Instead, you're going to tell me a few things and these things are to begin with who hired you. You are going to tell me how you became involved and why you came to the Citadel. You are also going to tell me why you're so interested in the package."

Dieter paused for a moment, seeing that Kynarus had calmed down enough for him to continue without another interruption. The turian had an enraged look in his eyes that was enough to say that he wanted to kill Dieter but the human didn't think much of this at all, instead reaching into a pocket inside his jacket and retrieving a small box of cigarettes.

The krogan, Kalax, let its vice-like grip drop from the turian's thighs and the krogan then reached for its waist, pulling a standard krogan combat blade from its hip. It held the blade to the dim light and it glinted, showing a well-polished and razor sharp metal talon that curled slightly, forming a sort of hook shape. The krogan then pressed it against Kynarus' left side, the turian feeling the cold steel against his skin and not even noticing the small amount of dark blue blood it managed to draw out from the cut it created.

"I'm going to give you five seconds to start telling me everything," Dieter said, "if you start talking everything will be fine. If you refuse then Kalax here is going to cut something of yours off. I doubt you'll want to be without whatever he'll cut off but I'm afraid those will be the consequences of your uncooperative actions. Do you understand?"

Kynarus didn't like the sound of this one bit but didn't reply to Dieter's question. Instead he eyed the blade closely, thinking that maybe he could try stalling the krogan and Dieter for long enough to figure something out. He was right where Dieter wanted him and it would be wise to get out of this position as soon as possible, freeing the whimpering Yelina while he was at it.

"One second…" Dieter said, beginning his count. The krogan pressed the blade against Kynarus' side again, sliding it closer and closer to his groin. The turian had a feeling about where it was going and knew he would have to think of something if he didn't want to end up a eunuch.

"Two…"

The krogan brought the blade to the lower part of Kynarus' stomach, mere inches away from his waist. He had the obvious intention of jabbing it into the turian's stomach and tearing it right down to his nuts, probably slicing right down his…

The thought was too much for the turian who began writhing where he hung, trying to struggle his way out of the chains. Dieter looked on with a hint of a smile on his face, knowing full well that metal chains were more than enough to hold a turian in place. The krogan kept the blade against Kynarus' stomach, cutting into his scaly skin with surprising ease and sending a narrow trickle of dark blue turian blood down Kynarus' stomach.

"Three…"

Kynarus couldn't stand the tension any longer. For one thing he didn't like the idea of losing his "manhood" like this and for another he was guessing that Dieter would have him killed anyway once he had outlived his usefulness.

"What do you want to know?" Kynarus blurted, feeling rather annoyed at himself but unable to cope with the thought of what the krogan was planning on doing to him. The krogan's grip on the military issue talon lightened and he brought it away from the turian's stomach, the weapon already stained with dark blue blood and having left a few superficial gashes on the turian's stomach.

"I knew you would see reason, Kynarus," Dieter said, narrowing his eyes as he looked into the turian's desperate gaze. He seemed satisfied with the result he had achieved and so began asking questions, starting from the very beginning of Kynarus' involvement.

"Who hired you?" Dieter asked. The krogan, Kalax, still stood with the military issue talon raised and ready to strike at any moment, just in case the turian decided to get unruly.

"Colonel Sommers," Kynarus replied, not at all caring when he disclosed this information. He didn't care what Dieter found out just as long as it didn't put Katherine in jeopardy.

"Who?" Dieter sounded a little unsure when he heard this name, frowning as he racked his memory for some previous mention. He didn't seem to be able to find any and remained bewildered as to who Colonel Sommers was.

"Colonel Sommers," Kynarus said again, "that's all he told me. He was the one who hired me to find that damn package…"

Dieter nodded, obviously understanding but not quite sure who this Colonel Sommers was. He frowned, tapping his fingers against where his pistol was holstered at his waist while he thought this over.

"Was he Cerberus?"

This question surprised Kynarus a little but he quickly realized that it could be possible. Whoever these Cerberus people were they were obviously the ones that had attacked the office complex on Talerian and were probably after the package as well. They sounded bad enough and it seemed that they were rivals against Dieter and his corporation. They would have to be pretty powerful to go up against a massive corporation with its own army of synthetic soldiers.

"I don't know," Kynarus replied before realizing this was the wrong answer. Well, at least it would be wrong in Dieter's eyes and that would be enough of an excuse for the krogan to start cutting.

Surprisingly Dieter only nodded, frowning at the turian for a moment before his gaze lightened up and he moved onto the next important question and one Kynarus had quite a simple answer for.

"Do you know about what's in the package?" Dieter asked. The look on his face told Kynarus he was expecting the truth to be told and surprisingly Kynarus did tell the truth, seeing as he knew nothing about what was inside the mysterious container.

"I have no idea," Kynarus replied, "I was just going to get paid if I got it and brought it back to the Colonel. Is there anything wrong with that?"  
Dieter shook his head. There probably wasn't anything wrong with that, Dieter having proven himself to be a fairly reasonable man when it came to interrogations like this one.

"Probably better that you don't know," Dieter replied, "because if you knew I'd have to kill you, you do realize that?"

Kynarus didn't respond. Instead, he gave the human an angered look. If he could break out of these chains he would do so and then proceed to tear the human apart with his very own talons, talons which all turians had. It was deemed uncivilized to do such a thing but Kynarus figured that Dieter would provide a worthy exception to this common rule.

"Where's your friend?" Dieter asked, breaking the turian's train of thought, "you know, the human woman? Katherine? How's she getting along?"

Kynarus didn't have the intention of telling Dieter where Katherine was. He knew well enough that she would end up in the same position as he was and probably subjected to far worse treatment…

"Fine," Kynarus replied casually, "she's fine. Why?"

Dieter smiled at the thought, vividly remembering Katherine and everything that had been notable about her. It seemed quite alright that she was well and alive even if she had tried shooting Dieter dead back on Talerian. He had done nothing but return the favour, finding her to be quite ill-prepared when it came to self-protection. Unlike him, she hadn't been wearing a body armour vest.

"Do you know where she is on the Citadel? I'd like to go and talk to her," Dieter said with a smile, "you know, just the two of us…"

"Find out yourself," Kynarus replied adamantly, watching with some satisfaction as Dieter's face screwed up into a dislikeable scowl, "and by the way, she's not interested in you."

Dieter took a step towards the turian, his face displaying quite an angry scowl and his demeanour suddenly changed to one of sheer rage. Without much warning he brought an elbow into Kynarus' stomach with considerable force. The turian grunted, his stomach churning in a nauseating fashion while he was left partially winded. It seemed he had had the desired effect on Dieter, annoying the human to such an extent that he couldn't help but lash out at him.

"Good one boss," the krogan said with some satisfaction before adding, "should I cut off his balls or will you?"

Dieter looked at the krogan, his face having returned to the usual straight business-like one he usually had. Dieter thought about the krogan's question for a moment, glancing over at Kynarus and then back to the krogan.

"There'll be no need for that right now," Dieter said before nodding in the direction of Yelina who had only just looked up to see what was going on, "instead, hurt his new girlfriend over there. I'm sure he'll like that."

Kynarus felt his heart skip a beat when he heard this. He looked over at Yelina who only whimpered quietly when she heard this and seemed resigned to her fate. Dieter turned around and started walking away, humming quietly to himself.

"Where are you going, boss?" The krogan asked, Dieter stopping mid-stride and turning around.

"I'm getting myself something to drink," the human replied casually, "that's why I'm leaving you in charge of both of our prisoners. Don't hurt Kynarus, we may still need him but you can hurt his girlfriend all you want. Enjoy yourself, Kalax."

The krogan nodded as Dieter disappeared around a corner at the end of the tunnel. He wiped Kynarus' blood that was on the military issue talon and proceeded towards Yelina. The young turian female saw him coming and didn't say anything, merely beginning to cry quietly.

"Hey, Kalax," Kynarus said without thinking about it, "why do you work for that prick, huh?" He knew it was a long-shot but it was still worth a try to stall the krogan long enough to come up with some sort of escape plan he had been struggling to come up with. So far he had begun to ease his chains little by little, looking up and seeing they were held in the ceiling by four little screws each. He began to rattle them in a subdued manner, trying to make them budge and he had been doing this throughout the conversation with Dieter with only limited success. He wasn't doing it enough to make it too noticeable although he figured that the krogan and Dieter didn't think he would be getting out.

The krogan paused in his advance towards the whimpering Yelina, turning its large head slightly and looking towards Kynarus with some suspicion.

"Because the pay's good, that's why," The krogan, Kalax, replied, "what's it matter to you anyway? You're just a turian and I really hate turians…"

Kynarus rattled the chains again, the krogan looking up at them and then managing a smug grin and once again baring its jagged, sharp teeth.

"I wouldn't even try," the krogan said, "you turians are way too weak to even try breaking out of chains like that."

Kynarus could see he was stalling the krogan and so had begun rattling the chains a little more, feeling the bolts holding them to the ceiling budge slightly. This was enough to send a renewed sense of hope flowing through them and he began pulling them at a stronger and more frantic rate. The krogan didn't seem to take any notice of this and instead turned around and started towards Yelina with the talon in his right hand, held at the ready. Yelina only whimpered quietly, resigned to her fate but probably not prepared for it. That krogan would extend the pain she would feel as much as he could, probably raping her for good measure while Kynarus was forced to watch and listen.

"Hey, ugly," Kynarus said to the krogan, causing the large reptile to stop suddenly and turn around, "you know you have really bad breath?" This was true; the krogan's breath did smell fairly rancid. This was understandable since krogan's would eat any kind of meat, regardless of whether it was cooked or not.

"Call me ugly again turian and I'll cut off your girlfriend's left hand," the krogan said without hesitation, "and then I'll cut off her right. If you're still pissing me off by that time I'll cut off her left foot, following this by cutting off her right. And I won't simply hack away at them; instead I'll carefully carve away the flesh and leave only the bone visible before breaking it…"  
"I didn't ask for your day plan," Kynarus replied. He could see the krogan meant all it was saying, probably the type that got a kick out of sadistic torture. Yelina was cowering, her head down and tears streaming down her face while she awaited the seemingly inevitable torture she would receive.

Kynarus felt the bolts holding the chains give way, allowing him to move more freely. The krogan had turned back around to continue walking towards Yelina but soon stopped again when he heard the sounds of the chains rattling. He turned around and stepped towards Kynarus, prodding the turian in the stomach with the talon. It was enough to draw blood but Kynarus barely felt it as the blade cut through his scales with relative ease.

"Stop that or I'll cut off your balls," the krogan said, "regardless of what my boss says."

Kynarus didn't reply. Instead, one final pull on the chains sent the small bolts holding them to the ceiling falling out, the pipe underneath where Kynarus' hands were held breaking down from the ceiling and hitting the krogan on the head. Seizing his chance the turian finished breaking the chains free of the ceiling and lunged towards the dazed krogan, sending them both onto the floor.

Kynarus' hands were still bound together but this didn't stop him from being able to punch the krogan in the face repeatedly. He struck blow after blow, feeling the big alien struggle beneath him but the constant blows it received to the head were preventing the krogan from formulating any effective means of self-defence.

That was when the krogan lashed out with a full biotic kick, launching Kynarus off of him and against the far wall. The turian hit the wall painfully, slumping against it and trying to regain his senses before the krogan could retaliate. Kynarus rose back onto his feet, the anger he could feel controlling his actions and shadowing his better judgement.

The krogan was up and brought up the military issue talon, lunging towards Kynarus with surprising ferocity. The turian was forced against the wall by the reptilian alien's superior strength, Kynarus gripping the krogan's right hand as he attempted to push the blade of the talon away. It was a losing battle and the blade drew closer and closer to Kynarus' throat. That was before Kynarus came up with the last-ditch idea of spitting into the krogan's face; hitting the big reptile in its right eye and making the krogan loosen its grip on him for a few seconds. The krogan brought up his left hand and wiped away the spit, a fury in his eyes that was more than Kynarus thought the alien could manage.

Kynarus took this chance to bring the military-issue talon to the krogan's throat, forcing it out of the reptile's grip and into his own. In one fluid motion he had sliced the razor blade across the krogan's throat, the alien's dark blood oozing out at a surprising rate.

The krogan stumbled back from Kynarus, putting its hands to its throat and making a rather horrible gargling sound. Kynarus watched with indifference as the krogan shifted its gaze onto him, taking a step towards him in an effort to retaliate before falling onto its knees. Blood was squirting out in jets from either side of the reptile's throat, both major arteries severed. The krogan fell forwards, its hands falling from its throat as it lost consciousness. The krogan fell into a pool of its own blood which gradually increased in size around its head.

Kynarus stood watching the krogan's corpse for a few minutes, seeing if the alien was in fact dead. Kalax, the big krogan battle-master hired by Dieter had fallen after a fairly strenuous struggle. Krogans were tough and had a habit of getting back up again when everybody else thought they were dead. With both major arteries severed, Kynarus began to doubt that Kalax the krogan would be getting up again.

Wiping the krogan's blood off of the talon and onto his trousers which smelt of urine, Kynarus started towards Yelina. She looked up at him as he approached, her whimpering ceasing and the equivalent of a smile appearing at her mouth.  
"You killed him! You saved me…"

Kynarus, however, wasn't in the mood to listen to such sub-standard bullshit and instead used the key off of the nearby table to open the chains that bound Yelina's hands together. She fell into his arms, almost passing out but Kynarus shook her around, trying to make her come to her senses.

"You sold me out," Kynarus said, Yelina releasing herself from his grip and taking a step back. She could see the anger in Kynarus' eyes and realized he probably wasn't going to listen to whatever she was going to say in her defence.

"You accepted a bribe so you could lure me to your apartment and put me at a disadvantage when Dieter arrived," Kynarus said, grabbing Yelina's collar and bringing her closer. He was angry and didn't have time for this sort of thing, having been away for several hours from Katherine and his original objective of meeting Colonel Sommers. The rescheduled meeting was well over by now and Colonel Sommers probably wouldn't be happy about that.

"You just didn't bet they'd betray you and leave you as a reward for the krogan," Kynarus said, "so you better be thankful, bitch. He would have raped you and cut you up just for the fun of it."

Kynarus' words seemed to have more than the desired effect. Not only did the smile leave her face but she did suddenly burst into tears, surprised at how much Kynarus was angry at her.

"I'm sorry…" She sobbed, lowering her head. Kynarus lifted it up so they were looking into each other's eyes again, the anger in the male turian only being barely controlled. He didn't want to hit her otherwise he would be stooping to the level of the very krogan he had just killed. He wouldn't do that, not ever.

"Sorry isn't enough," Kynarus said, letting Yelina go. She stood there, crying and giving Kynarus a look that told him that maybe she was truly sorry.

"I love you, Kynarus," she said. These words did nothing to change his mood though and he simply gestured towards the end of the tunnel and towards the corner there.

"I don't care if you love me because I don't love you," he said bluntly, hearing her sob loudly in response. He didn't care what she thought of him now; he just wanted to make sure he was getting his point across to her. He didn't have time to be seduced and then captured again since he had a feeling that things would be worse the next time he was captured.

"You don't mean that!" Yelina wailed, sounding desperate but taking a step back anyway.

"I do mean it! Now get out of here!" Kynarus shouted back, pointing towards the far end of the tunnel, "don't ever talk to me again, do you understand? Hell, I don't even want to see you again. Just leave…now!"

She sobbed some more but didn't reply. Instead, she turned around and started jogging down the tunnel, crying quietly and managing one last look over her shoulder at the turian male that had been yelling at her. Kynarus simply returned the gaze with a neutral but cold expression, watching her disappear around the corner.

Once she was gone, Kynarus turned around and didn't think once of the female turian he had just shouted away. He didn't have time for women that would end up betraying him, accepting credits to be the lure in a scheme to capture him. She may have liked him but he doubted she loved him and would most likely find another man, one that she wasn't being paid to lure into a trap. She didn't need him and he sure as hell didn't need her.

Kynarus put his mind onto the more pressing matters at hand: Dieter was here somewhere and probably not expecting his turian prisoner to have broken free of his bonds. That gave Kynarus the advantage but even so he had no idea where Dieter could possibly be. These maintenance tunnels winded throughout the whole of the Citadel and were a labyrinth of dank passages and dead ends. He figured he should start heading in the direction Dieter had gone before leaving the krogan alone with Kynarus and Yelina.

Kynarus realized the only real weapon he was carrying was the metal talon he had snatched from the krogan before cutting the reptile's throat open with it. He stepped over to the alien's corpse and done a quick search, taking the shotgun that was attached to the back of the krogan's suit of armour. He checked it briefly, finding it to be fitted with an ammunition upgrade of polonium rounds. These would poison anyone without adequate protection with radiation sickness and could reduce even well armoured targets into nothing but piles of green, steaming and radioactive goo.

Kynarus put the talon away into his belt and held the shotgun in his left hand while he pulled the few grenades the krogan was carrying off of its corpse. These would also come in handy if he ran into Dieter and his goons. He paused a moment before heading off, making sure the krogan was well and truly dead as well as pausing a brief moment to think about Yelina.

_She doesn't deserve time for you to think about her_, Kynarus told himself with some determination; _let her out of your thoughts and concentrate on killing Dieter while getting to the bottom of all of this._

Kynarus started down the tunnel, thinking that soon enough he would be getting all the answers he needed to figure out this whole situation he was in. Colonel Sommers could potentially be working for this Cerberus group while Katherine could be in danger but these thoughts were all but secondary to the one he was thinking now.

_Time to die, Dieter._

* * *

Hermann Holst sat quietly, can of soda in one hand while he held an e-book in the other. He was sitting at a table in an old maintenance room in the bowels of the Citadel, a few officers seated at the table as well while the group killed time. Here on the Citadel it seemed that killing time was the only real thing to do.

Hermann had survived the Cerberus attack on Talerian and had accompanied Dieter to the Citadel so he could help find Heinrich Walstedt; he was an old friend of Dieter's and associate of the corporation. Unsurprisingly Heinrich had turned out to be impossible to find, apparently residing in the Presidium somewhere and running his very own bar. He was most likely living under a false identity and enjoying the luxurious life he lived on the Citadel while getting a steady flow of income.

Heinrich had been the one to give Dieter all the information about the package, what was inside and where it was. That had lead Dieter to Klensal before going on to Talerian as well as hiring the mercenary, Katherine Tyler, to help them acquire it. Heinrich Walstedt had in turn received the information off of Herbert von Schraeder, the once powerful main figure in the corporation who was now impossible to reach since he was in prison. Dieter was in charge now and was hoping to find out the truth to the package's whereabouts and no longer be stuck on this wild goose chase.

Sitting on Hermann's left was Francis Darian, the tech expert of their team here on the Citadel. He was young and a bit fidgety, not really good at anything else except technology. He couldn't play any sort of sport very well but to make up for it he was the smartest person in the group, always with some sort of technology based solution to a problem. Francis wasn't much of a fighter either and it had only been with Hermann's help that they managed to escape the Cerberus attack on their offices in Talerian.

Francis knew enough about Cerberus to know they were powerful and a dangerous rival to the corporation. They were some sort of xenophobic terrorist group that had the belief that one day they would be making humanity the most powerful race in the galaxy. This seemed like a crazy man's dream but something told Hermann that it was far more and that it was close to becoming a reality.

He also knew that Cerberus had been a long time rival of the not-so xenophobic Zahni Corporation. The corporation had no qualms about hiring non-humans, always making sure those non-humans were trustworthy. Cerberus would never hire a non-human unless there was an absolute need for one. For years now Cerberus and the corporation had been duking it out in a sort of arms race, developing better weaponry and equipment to fight off each other. So far not much had really happened save for the attack on Talerian. Either side was merely biding their time and were both after the same thing: the mysterious package.

Only Dieter and a select few others knew what was inside and even so Hermann was having trouble imagining what it could possibly be. How could it be so important as to require all this time and effort into getting hold of it? Perhaps either side felt they needed to keep it from their opponent no matter what the cost was. He wouldn't be surprised if, in reality, no one actually knew what was inside and that the information concerning this had changed and been warped into an exaggerated story over time.

Today, however, the activities of Cerberus had taken the form of a mere sidenote since Dieter had managed to apprehend the very turian that had caused them so much trouble on Talerian. Hermann knew the turian to be a certain Kynarus Vakarian, some washout mercenary hired to get the package for some Colonel Sommers guy. It was easy enough to realize that Colonel Sommers was probably some high-ranking Cerberus big-wig, possibly the very same Tiberius Sommers in charge of the organization's elite forces division. Hermann wasn't too sure what information the turian could offer but Dieter had captured him anyway, using a turian female to lure Kynarus into a trap. Now Kynarus was chained up in the tunnels nearby along with the turian female while Dieter and Kalax the krogan had a talk with him. It was a bit of a surprise when Dieter entered the maintenance office, an annoyed frown on his face as he stepped over to the fridge in the corner of the room and opened it.

"Dieter, how'd the interrogation go?" One of the officers, Hans Berenger, asked. Hans was a large man who was more in the job for the good pay than anything else but this didn't stop him from providing sincere loyalty to the corporation's cause. Hans was possibly the strongest person in the room save for Dieter who knew all sorts of special fighting moves, he just hardly used them.

"The turian isn't cooperating too much," Dieter replied, pulling a can of soda from a shelf in the fridge and closing the door. He pulled open the tab on the can and began drinking, stepping over to the table but not sitting down. Instead he remained standing, downing the contents of his can within a minute and throwing the empty can into the bin in the far corner of the room.

"Why not?"

"He wants to protect Katherine, that's why," Dieter replied casually, "the two, I believe, have developed some sort of relationship."  
Hans raised an eyebrow. Some of the other officers looked suitably surprised but otherwise no one said anything. Human and turian relationships were a rarity and were often looked down upon by either species. Sure, they could be friends but usually no more than that.

Dieter frowned for a moment, indicating that there was something on his mind.

"I suppose there have been no new developments concerning Heinrich," Dieter said, noticing how quiet everyone had gone, "there never seems to be any."

"Are you sure Heinrich's even on the Citadel?" Francis asked, looking up and towards Dieter. Dieter didn't seem at all surprised by the question and simply nodded in response, quite confident that he had been right about Heinrich being on the Citadel.

"Then where could he be?"

"I don't know but I have sent out a message on the private number he gave me last time I met him," Dieter said, "he should reply soon enough. Until then we can only wait and see. Yes, wait and see…"  
Dieter trailed off, his gaze meeting nothing in particular as he fell into his own thoughts. This was a common occurrence with the Austrian and another sign that he was bordering on insanity, although it was hard to tell with Dieter. He seemed to have a clear enough mind to lead their group but he would often have mood swings, going from one frame of mind to another within minutes.

A few minutes passed, Dieter snapping out of his self-induced trance and starting towards the closed door. He seemed to have only come inside for the drink and nothing else, probably on his way to talk to Kynarus again. Hermann didn't like to think about what the krogan would do to Kynarus and the female turian, it was probably the sort of thing that would make Dieter's interrogation methods look merciful. Hermann had seen what was left of one turian that had been left alone at the mercy of Kalax and it had not been a pretty sight.

"You sure leaving them alone with that krogan was a good idea?" Hermann asked, "I get nightmares every time I think about what he would do with turian prisoners…"  
Dieter shrugged innocently, managing a smile that more or less said 'what-do-you-want-me-to-do?'

"I told him not to touch Kynarus," Dieter said, "although I let him do what he wants to the female. We don't need her and it can act as a sort of reward for the hard working krogan. Besides, he's done more for our organization than all of you put together…"

There was an explosion at the door, forcing it forwards as it bent and melted in the heat of the detonation. Dieter was knocked onto the floor by the force of the explosion and as soon as he was down the officers had stood up, picking up their assault rifles and aiming them towards the door. Francis had taken out his pistol but his hands were shaking with fear and surprise. It was unlikely he would be able to shoot anything in that state.

Hermann stood up; he was ready to lash out with a biotic throw if someone came through the door. The smoke had begun to clear and Dieter was rising onto his feet, slightly dazed but otherwise fine. Seconds passed and Hermann squinted to make out anything in the smoke but found it difficult to see through the grey cloud at the door.

That was when a familiar disc-shaped object went gliding through the doorway and into the room. It must have been as wide as a standard glass but it was quite visible, attaching itself to the table in front of the officers and beginning to beep. It wasn't hard to figure out what it was so Hermann, Francis and Hans as well as the other officers attempted to dive out of the way before the grenade detonated.

When it did detonate the blast thundered loudly throughout the small room, blowing apart the flimsy wooden table and sending a pair of the officers flying backwards against the far wall, their black and grey uniforms scorched. Ringing erupted in Hermann's ears as he fell painfully onto the floor, hearing some shouts and what sounded like a shotgun firing from the doorway.

He looked to his right and saw Dieter getting onto his feet, brushing himself down as he pulled out his Colt pistol. He turned around and began firing towards the figure in the doorway that in turn quickly retreated back behind the wall. Dieter started for the door behind him, Francis following him while the surviving officers and Hans removed their side-arms and began firing. Hans then quickly stepped through the door before it had a chance to slide shut, locking itself once it had and leaving Hermann and the remaining officers to fight it out with the turian. The room was filled with the cacophony of weapons fire, the ringing in Hermann's ears only just beginning to fade away. He slowly rose onto his feet just as the officer standing to his left was reduced to a pile of green and radioactive goo, the result of what looked to be either radioactive or polonium rounds.

_What a horrible way to die_, Hermann thought before realizing he would probably end up the same way if he didn't start moving.

* * *

Kynarus was satisfied with the confusion the grenade he had thrown into the room had caused. He was feeling especially angry seeing as Dieter had been so willing to leave Yelina at the mercy of the krogan battle-master and for that Kynarus wasn't about to let him get away so easily.

Pistol fire from Dieter had forced Kynarus back into cover and when the turian had edged around the side of the doorway he was dismayed to catch a glimpse of Dieter's back before the door at the other end of the room closed behind him, the panel next to it lighting up red to indicate it had locked. Kynarus raised the shotgun and began firing at the door and then to the four officers scattered throughout the room, the table in the centre reduced to smouldering pieces.

There was another person in the room who was only just starting to get up, Kynarus recognizing him as one of the main goons he had encountered back in the office complex on Talerian. The officer to this guy's left began firing and Kynarus ignored the badly aimed shots and pulled the trigger on the shotgun, feeling it kick back in his grip while the cluster of green shots laced through the air in a sort of tight hazy green cone.

The officer, within seconds, had simply melted away into a puddle of steaming green cone. This had been accompanied by a loud hissing sound which had helped silence the officer's shouts before he had simply died during the process, the polonium rounds doing their job at helping fuel further nightmares with the quite horrible way it killed people. Kynarus didn't care too much, he was pissed off as it was and he wasn't about to let these guys get away just like Dieter had.

The weapons fire from the other officers forced Kynarus to dive to his left, moving out of the way of their fire for a few seconds as he flew through the air. Within that time he had brought up the shotgun and fired twice more, both officers melting away into similar piles of green goo as the last one had. The last remaining officer took aim and fired, Kynarus feeling a painful burning sting in his right thigh as the bullet, no larger than a pin, sheared through his trousers and then his flesh. Kynarus grunted, landing on the floor after his dive and taking a quick glance at his newly acquired wound. It had passed through the very edge of his thigh, having missed anything important. It hurt like hell and would probably restrict his movement until he got it patched up, dark blue blood slowly oozing from the wound as he looked at it.

The officer continued firing, the shots blowing holes in the floor near the turian before he stopped looking at his bleeding thigh and returned fire. This officer shouted in agony only to be abruptly silenced as he melted away in a green haze, the goo splashing loudly into a puddle on the floor. It was slightly sickening but Kynarus didn't feel too bad about it with his belief that these guys deserved it. They were with Dieter after all.

The last guy, the one Kynarus recognized from Talerian, had risen onto his feet. He looked at Kynarus and then the shotgun the turian held in his hands with some concern, possibly on the verge of wetting himself. Kynarus had no idea who this guy was but he looked important enough that if Kynarus killed him perhaps it would deal a blow to the Zahni Corporation's plans.

The man with the dark hair looked at Kynarus, feeling a little nervous especially since he had just watched a bunch of people around him dying horribly. Kynarus approached him slowly; he kept the shotgun raised and ready to fire while in reality Kynarus was waiting for the weapon to cool down so it wouldn't overheat. This seemed an agonizingly long wait while the indicator on the back of the weapon went from the red and down into the green.

"You…you must be Kynarus…" The man said, obviously with some knowledge of why the turian was here. Kynarus pumped the shotgun eagerly, feeling the urge to kill this man and be done with it. Something told him he should give the man a chance to speak first and see what he had to say.

"I…I just happen to have one thing to tell you," the man said before a grin formed on his features, "I'm a biotic."

Kynarus was thrown backwards within seconds, hitting the wall near the doorway hard and painfully. While he lay dazed against the wall, trying to regain his sense he became dimly aware that the man in the different officer's outfit and with the biotic powers ran past and through the doorway, his footfalls decreasing in volume as he went further and further away.

Kynarus struggled onto his feet, picking up the shotgun from the floor nearby since it had dropped when he had hit the wall. He stumbled on his injured thigh but quickly regained his footing, making his way towards the locked door on the other side of the room.

This was where his anger got the better of him. He raised and fired the shotgun, again and again, into the metal of the door. Unsurprisingly it only left sizzling scorch marks in the thick metal but it didn't stop Kynarus from doing it again and again as well as kicking it a few times while he swore loudly in his native tongue. Dieter had escaped _again_…this was something that annoyed Kynarus more because it made him think he had stuffed up somewhere. Dieter could have been killed if Kynarus had planned his approach right and not had simply charged into the room once the grenade had detonated. Dieter knew when he was outgunned and had smartly escaped, probably to carry out the rest of his nefarious scheme while Kynarus stood here and wallowed in his own frustration.

Kynarus turned away from the door, trying to think how he could have possibly let that biotic get away. He guessed it didn't really matter now so he tried to forget how he had let his guard down, instead finding himself craving some more of that mysterious red sand Yelina had introduced him too. He searched the room for anything that might be of use, carrying the vain hope he might find some of the illicit red dust lying around. Unfortunately he didn't find any although he did find an intact human-made communicator that he figured would be useful.

Standing in the messed up maintenance room, kicking a few scorched metal panels away from his feet he dialled Katherine's number. Putting the communicator close to his mouth he was relieved to hear Katherine's voice on the other end. It was something that filled him with new warmth, a type of warmth he hadn't felt for some time.

"_Hello? Kynarus, is that you?"_

"Yeah, it's me," Kynarus said, his usual casual mood returning. The anger in him began to subside, knowing full well that he didn't need to be worried about getting shot at right now.

"_Kynarus, where have you been? So much has happened since you were out that I don't know where to begin…"_

Kynarus was unsurprised to hear this. Maybe this Cerberus group had tried something, he couldn't be sure. What he was sure about was that Katherine would be able to explain to him all that had happened.

"_I had to find a safer place, just so you know. I'm renting a room down in the Wards. Hopefully those Cerberus people won't be able to find me."_

"Katherine, just tell me what happened and I'll tell you what happened to me," Kynarus said, knowing full well he would be better off not telling Katherine about what had happened between him and Yelina. It would be a foolish thing to tell her, to say the least.

The two ended up talking for a while, Kynarus making his way out of the maintenance tunnels and onto the streets of the sprawling metropolis that made up the Citadel. He received a few odd looks from pedestrians seeing as he wasn't wearing a shirt or anything but he ignored them, limping along on his bleeding thigh as he began to find his way down into the Wards. It must have bee at least the next morning by now although it was hard to tell such things if the artificial sunlight was on all of the time.


	16. Interlude III

**Location:** Somewhere outside the main human settlement on Hallian

Seven years earlier…

The sun was still low in the sky when Lieutenant Kynarus Vakarian and his squad of six others set out in a transport rover to the human-built laboratory facility a few kilometres outside of the human settlement. Here there was some spare forest and a narrow stream that filtered through it, the sound of water trickling over rocks quite audible in the silence of the forest.

Kynarus had selected a squad of the six soldiers he figured would do well in a combat situation, Lalias being one of them. She followed him in her part of the formation, every now and then the two of them would look at each other with secretive smiles while the memories of the night before still lingered in their minds.

Captain Jakalas had admitted that he was corrupt but he had wanted Kynarus to take a squad out to investigate the disturbances at the human laboratory facility. Kynarus would have to take care of the Captain when he went back to the military base, feeling a little annoyed at himself for not being able to see this earlier. The Captain was being paid under the table by humans to keep the activities that happened at this laboratory a secret. It was corruption no doubt although Kynarus couldn't quite figure out what was going on at this laboratory complex that was so important that it needed to be covered up like that, bribing the lead officer at a military base to prevent interference with the humans in any fashion. Whatever it was Kynarus would find out soon enough seeing as they were close to the laboratory complex now.

The forest around the squad was strangely quiet, the ground underneath covered with leaf litter and dead branches which made plenty of noise regardless of how lightly someone stepped on them. Kynarus was at the front of the squad, dressed in regulation armour and with an assault rifle held tightly in his hands. The six other squad members were dressed about the same save for Lalias who bore the blue shoulder pads and insignia which showed that she was a field medic. The squad crept through the forest quietly, the occasional snap of someone stepping on a twig breaking the relative silence of the forest.

The laboratory complex was mostly underground according to the information Kynarus had been given, its entrance being the only thing that was on the surface. It shouldn't be too hard to spot, standing out against the forest quite clearly.

The rest of the squad knew only a limited amount of information about the mission, Kynarus having not told them about how the Captain was corrupt and officially a criminal. They only knew that someone had attacked the laboratory complex and that their job was to find out who and why while keeping casualties to a minimum if possible. Kynarus doubted the people responsible would be keen on going down without a fight which was why he had made his squad get into the heaviest armour that had been available at the base and had made sure everyone carried an assault rifle for a balance of accuracy and power as well as a fast rate of fire. Most of the squad members didn't complain about all of this, preferring to get through the day in one piece and so willingly got into the heavy armour.

For an hour or so now they had trudged through the forest, following the stream along and keeping alert for any suspicious movement. Surprisingly there were no patrols being made by the attackers and there seemed to be absolutely no sign of them, perhaps implying that there were none and the whole thing was just a mistake. Kynarus had the thought that maybe Jakalas was setting them up to save himself for the retribution of his crimes but this seemed highly improbably although it did make sense that Jakalas would be hoping that Kynarus didn't make it back alive. He knew of the Captain's corruption and would be arresting the Captain once he returned to the military base. Hopefully he wouldn't get himself killed out in the forest since then the Captain would be getting away scott-free.

The area here was known to the humans as "Witch Creek", mainly because it had the creek running through it. The name didn't have any particular meaning apparently, it was just a name given so that the area could be identified on maps and so forth. There was no secret history of the area and no real reason why it was named Witch Creek. The humans made a habit of naming things for no real reason, unlike the turians who tended to give names to places that meant something.

Up ahead was a large set of rocky outcrops that protruded out of the forest, perhaps the result of a long ago meteorite impact judging from the way the forest abruptly ended. The creek had a bend in it here, going right around the ageing crater and out of view around the other side. Kynarus checked the monitoring device around his wrist, checking the map and seeing that the marked region was right in front of them. The laboratory entrance would have to be around here somewhere, probably well hidden within the rocks and trees. Putting a hand up, Kynarus signalled his squad to hold while he moved forwards and down into the shallow water of the creek, feeling it come around at about waist high. At the bottom he could feel mud and all sorts of natural litter such as dead branches and rocks, moving slowly as he started towards the rocky outcrops that surrounded the ages-old crater.

Crossing the creek and coming up onto the bank at the other side with his legs covered in mud and water he quickly brought up his rifle, looking around and starting towards the crater. He wasn't taking any chances seeing as the rocks provided a vantage point over the area and the thick undergrowth provided cover for anyone planning to set up an ambush.

He glanced at the rest of the eagerly awaiting squad, signalling them to start following at a distance. They began to move, Lalias taking the lead while Kynarus started towards the rocks and to the edge of the crater.

He stopped by the edge, looking down into the large but overgrown crater. Thick undergrowth had filled it over the centuries and rendering it almost unrecognizable and almost useless as a landmark. Up ahead there was a silvery glint amongst the mess of undergrowth, Kynarus raising his rifle and zooming in through its scope.

He could see the metal door in the far edge of the crater, glinting in the morning sunlight. It was partially obscured by the thick undergrowth but it was still quite visible, signifying the entrance to a secret complex that not even Kynarus had known about until today. Looking around he could see no other signs of life but even he knew that didn't mean a thing. These mysterious and yet to be seen attackers could be hiding anywhere and could even be inside the underground lab complex. It was a good place for an ambush, this a thought that Kynarus didn't forget about as he ordered one half of his squad to take vantage positions around the edges of the crater. He, Lalias and two others would be heading into the crater and would take cover in the undergrowth once Kynarus was sure it was safe enough to get moving.

Once the three squad members he had ordered were in position, lying prone amongst the rocks and covering three different angles into the crater Kynarus gave the order to the rest of his squad to follow him down the edges. He, Lalias and the two other soldiers, both young turian males followed him down into the crater as they easily walked down the sloped edges. They all went low, Kynarus in the lead as they made their way through the thick undergrowth in a crouched position and started towards the thick metal bulkhead door. About halfway there the door suddenly clunked, its mechanism making the door slide away from a centre point and into four separate sections. Kynarus ordered his part of the squad to go low, Kynarus himself hitting the dirt and bringing his assault rifle up to his shoulder.

"Hold your fire," Kynarus muttered into his helmet's radio, the squad members in the crater with him and the three on the edges not opening fire. He could see one of the young male soldiers lying prone to his left, the soldier's muscles tense as he beaded down his assault rifle's sight. Kynarus was doing the same, trying to keep himself relaxed as he watched whoever came out of the door.

Out of the darkness beyond the bulkhead door in the side of the crater came two officer looking types, dressed in elaborate uniforms and with armour vests on over the top. They were soon followed by about six soldiers who marched out into the sunshine in well ordered lines of three before spreading out when they stepped out into the crater. The two officers stopped and turned to each other, talking in normal voices and completely oblivious to the fact that they were being watched. All turians had excellent eyesight and hearing, far superior to that of humans and this allowed Kynarus to hear what the humans were saying.

He couldn't quite work out who these humans were and why they were here but they certainly looked out of place and they definitely weren't meant to be here. Kynarus kept his view through his assault rifle's short range zoom scope, waiting for the most opportune moment to fire while he listened to the conversation the two officers were having.

"…too bad for those scientists, huh?" The one on the left said, the conversation having already been going on before they had stepped out of the door, "there was about twelve of them and they were all dumb-asses. I mean, really, who did they think we were?"

The second officer nodded in agreement, seeming to smile but even through the scope on his assault rifle Kynarus couldn't really tell.

"Yeah, all they said was 'don't shoot' and came to use like we were going to give them candy. Too bad the boss said to kill them all. I doubt we'll be getting a medal for that anytime soon."

The first officer nodded as well.

"So, are the explosives in place?" He asked, frowning and taking on a more serious tone, "because we got all we needed. Too bad what the boss wanted wasn't inside…"

"The explosives are in place," the first officer said, reaching into a pocket in his uniform's trousers and removing a small remote, "all I have to do is press the big red button and the labs go sky high. There won't be a trace of evidence left inside. I mean, explosives make things so much simpler and they can solve all sorts of problems, don't you think?"  
"Before you get all glassy eyed on me I think we'd be better off getting to a safe distance," the first officer replied, the pair beginning to walk through the crater and towards where Kynarus, Lalias and the other two turian soldiers were hidden.

The six soldiers that had accompanied the two officers started following, getting into a scattered formation as they covered all possible angles. Kynarus had a feeling that the silence of the forest would be shattered soon enough, especially when one of these humans noticed the squad members Kynarus had ordered to take position at the edges of the crater.

"Do we fire, sir?" The voice came from Lalias who had reverted to her military demeanour for today. Kynarus turned towards her, the pair unable to help but give a sly grin to one another.  
"Just wait…" Kynarus said. He was about to tell her they should wait for the most opportune time and finish his sentence proper when one of the human soldiers shouting. This human pointed towards one of the squad members who were up on the sides of the crater, having exposed themselves enough to be seen. Kynarus swore under his breath, watching as the six soldiers opened fire at the exposed turian soldier. The soldier seemed to slump where he lay, not moving anymore after that.

The rest of the turians opened fire, the human soldiers scattering while one of the officers was cut down in the hail of weapons fire. The other officer, the one with the detonator, pressed the button on the small remote. This was followed by the muffled sound of an explosion coming from somewhere up ahead, the ground vibrating harshly while the explosives down in the underground lab complex detonated in turn. The ground beyond the door shook and the dirt was shaken into the air for a few seconds before falling, the metal door exploding outwards in a cloud of fire and smoke.

Kynarus then realized their chances of finding out what was going down in the hidden laboratory complex were all but gone, the whole place having gone up in flames. Kynarus forgot about this for now though, taking aim at one of the human soldiers and opening fire. The rest of his squad followed suit, two of the human soldiers falling before the rest dived into the thick undergrowth. The return fire was sporadic, either side struggling to find one another in the thick vegetation.

Above the din of the weapons fire Kynarus could just make out the sound of what sounded like the rumble of a loud engine, the type that belonged to a sort of large vehicle. He couldn't judge much just from the sound which was getting louder as the seconds passed but it wasn't long before the grey-black multi-wheeled troop transport came into view at the far edge of the crater, skidding to a halt and sending a cloud of dirt after it.

Kynarus raised his rifle and began firing towards the vehicle, ordering Lalias and the other two soldiers with him to get up and run. He could see the heavy turret on the top of the vehicle and watched as it opened fire, bullets shearing away bushes and shrubs as the turret strafed the edges of the crater. Kynarus watched as one of the squad members up there fell, ripped to pieces by the heavy fire and high-powered rounds. The turret quickly shifted its fire towards the other squad member on the other edge, the gauss cannon on the side of the turret firing instead. The ground at this section of the crater erupted into a cloud of dirt and smoke, the turian soldier there getting thrown aside like a rag doll.

Kynarus, Lalias and the two other soldiers with them were up by this time and had begun to run. They weren't too exposed now but Kynarus realized they would be very exposed when they started up the sloping sides of the ancient crater, making easy targets for the troop transport rover's main turret. Not only this but the remaining four soldiers and single officer would also be able to get a bead on the escaping turians.

It was their only chance, Kynarus shouting at Lalias and the others to keep moving. He stopped and turned around, putting his assault rifle into his left hand as he removed a pair of grenades from the other. He threw them towards the parked troop transport rover, watching as the disc-shaped grenades glided through the air and latched themselves on the armour of the vehicle. The rover's turret opened fire, the ground in front of him being riddled with bullets and forcing him to turn around and start running again.

The two grenades detonated, blowing the rover onto its side as fire erupted outwards. The rover came to a rest on its side and a few metres away from the edge of the crater and thus removing its powerful main turret from play. Kynarus kept running, ignoring the bullets that glanced off of his kinetic shields from the human soldiers and started up the sloping sides of the crater. Lalias and the other two turian soldiers were already to the top, Kynarus tagging along behind when his kinetic shields failed and a bullet sheared through the back of his left leg.

He shouted, falling to one knee while he clutched at his injured leg. The fire was heavy but he swallowed and began moving again. Lalias was at the top and she had turned around when he had shouted, shouting his name and beginning to run down.

She stopped by his side, firing her assault rifle from her left arm as she used her right to grab him. He could hear her shouting at him but he wasn't quite listening, instead he was more concerned about her having come back down for him. She could get herself killed doing something as foolhardy as this.

Lalias suddenly slumped against him, her assault rifle falling from her left hand and her weight forcing Kynarus onto the ground with her. For a moment Kynarus was completely put off-guard, unsure of what had happened to her. He could see the two other turian soldiers firing at the humans and covering Kynarus and Lalias as they had been making their way up the crater.

Kynarus grabbed Lalias and helped her up, hearing her grunt with some pain. Dark blue blood had smeared across Kynarus' chest and had come from Lalias when she had fallen against him. He could see there were several large holes blown into her back and sides, the exit wounds proving to look even worse. This sight made his heart flutter, realizing the full extent of what had happened to her when she had come down to get him. His eyes filling with tears he carried her back up to the top of the edge of the crater, ignoring the bullets that passed by so close to them and lying Lalias down amongst the undergrowth while the other two turian soldiers kept the human forces occupied.

Looking down at her he could see she was in bad shape and bleeding profusely. Kynarus felt something give inside him, seeing that she was slowly dying before him. She managed to look up at him, lifting an arm to his face and slowly caressing him.

"Lalias…you're hurt…" Kynarus said, trying to choke back the emotions he was feeling. All of his muscles were trembling but yet he still tried to remain strong, trying to forge the false equivalent of a smile on his features.

"You'll be alright," he said, grabbing the hand she had to his face with his and holding it tight. Lalias looked like she had been about to say something but when she went to speak she coughed instead, dark blue blood building up in her mouth and oozing out slowly as well as some that came forth in a fine spray when she coughed.

"I…I…" Lalias was struggling to speak, lying in front of him while her life slowly ebbed away. Kynarus put his free hand to her face, trying to reassure her by stroking the side of her face gently and passionately. She only gave the turian equivalent of a smile but coughed again, more of her own blood spraying forth.

"I…love…you…" She said, coughing. Kynarus kept his grip on her right hand tight, almost able to feel her strength ebbing away as her grip began to loosen. The gunfire in the background had almost become non-existent while Kynarus kept his view trained on her face, caressing her features. It took him a few minutes to finally realize she was dead, her eyes having closed and her grip on him having relaxed to its full extent.

When he finally did realize this he reluctantly let her hand go and slowly stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes as he bent down and picked up his assault rifle. With that in hand he turned around and started back towards the crater, forgetting the shouts from his two remaining squad-mates as he stepped back down into the crater, rifle raised an rage flowing through him. He shouted almost incomprehensible things as he went on to slaughter the five remaining humans down in the crater, not even feeling the many bullets he took while he did so.

* * *

Captain Jakalas had been sitting in his office since Kynarus had left, fiddling anxiously with whatever he could find and unable to help but think about what consequences awaited him. Corruption in the turian military wasn't taken very lightly, thirty years imprisonment being the sort of punishment high ranking officers might get. The death sentence was old news, something which the turian hierarchy had abolished years ago since killing their own soldiers didn't seem to be such an appealing idea after all.

Jakalas had been paid for the last few years by the humans that ran the underground laboratory complex out in the forest somewhere. The pay was there so he would intervene if anyone tried investigating the region and would make sure no one in the base found out about the existence of the laboratory complex. So far it had been working and so far he hadn't really needed to do anything about it since no one had bothered about the laboratory complex out in the wilderness. It was easy money and easy money was something he had always taken a liking to.

However, today was a day he had been both expecting and not expecting. He had been expecting something like this to happen for the last few months, having received a call from a suspicious sounding human concerning an item of great value that was being kept in the laboratory. He had not been expecting the attack to happen today however and had thus been caught off guard, confessing his corruption to Kynarus Vakarian and probably effectively ending his military career. That didn't really matter when compared to what he was expecting to happen next.

The item of great value had been something Jakalas had organized to have moved into the base so that the mysterious caller could drop by and get it with relative ease. The caller had told him of the large reward Jakalas would receive in return for his services but the dream of that money was all but gone now, Jakalas having mishandled the information he had been given. Only two weeks prior had the item been moved off-world by some human scientists and now the caller would arrive and find it to not even be on the base.

Jakalas was worried that this caller, a human Colonel, would want to visit him in his office and find out why the deal hadn't been fulfilled. It had all been a grave mistake but Jakalas was well aware of the consequences of such errors. He wasn't about to accept his fate though, keeping his pistol on his desk while he awaited the inevitable meeting.

He wasn't surprised to hear the bell at the door of his office ring and so casually yelled for whoever was there to come in. He couldn't take the anxiety out of his voice though and figured that whoever was going to come in would use the obvious anxiety he was feeling against him.

The door slid open and in stepped an authoritative looking human in a golden-brown long-coat that shined in the light inside the office. The human had dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes as well as a walk that indicated authority. He stopped a few feet in front of Jakalas' desk and eyed the Captain with some scorn.

"I came here today," the human said, his voice tinged with a thick accent which was quite unlike any other Jakalas had heard before (although humans would undoubtedly call this long-coated human's accent "American"), "Expecting to find the item I had requested. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it. Why is that?"

Jakalas kept his cool, knowing full well the situation he was in and able to see the pistol holstered at the human's waist.

"How did you get in here?" Jakalas asked, frowning, "I didn't give my guards permission to let anyone like you in."  
The human shrugged, pointing out a fairly plausible little fact when he next spoke.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe my organization is the one paying them to do what we tell them?" The human asked, smiling a malevolent smile. Jakalas didn't like the tone of voice the human had put on and so the turian's hand was creeping ever closer to the pistol lying on his desk. The human saw this but didn't react, keeping a fairly casual demeanour while he continued to speak.

"You failed me, Captain," the human said, "and I'm going to give you one chance to redeem yourself. Where is the package?"

"It's not even on this planet," Jakalas said, his right hand meeting the butt of the pistol, "it was moved off-world two weeks ago. I didn't know how to contact you, Colonel, so I couldn't tell you…"

The Colonel seemed to raise an inquiring eyebrow, especially when he saw the turian's hand meet with the pistol lying on the desk.

"I'm afraid my superiors don't take too kindly to failure," the Colonel said, "and seeing as you haven't even succeeded in giving us what we wanted then you have more or less outlived your usefulness…"

The Colonel's movements were fast and fluent compared to Jakalas' slightly trembling hands. The Colonel had removed his pistol and raised it, Jakalas having done the same. They both fired but the Colonel was the one who hit his target while Captain Jakalas' single shot went wide by at least a foot to the Colonel's right.

Part of the turian's face disappeared, replaced by a spray of blood and bits of bone when the Colonel's pistol shot connected. Captain Jakalas slumped forwards, his head coming t rest on the desk while dark blue blood slowly formed a puddle around it. Satisfied with the result the Colonel slid his pistol back in its holster.

The Colonel turned around, partly annoyed that his visit here had not achieved the desired result and partly because he would get a good talking to from the big boss once he rang him up and told him what had happened. One thing the Colonel didn't need to worry about were the guards outside who simply stood aside as he went past, completely ignorant to the fact that their superior officer had just been shot dead. All of the guards here were being paid under the table by Cerberus to keep quiet and all of them were being kept in the dark about the organization's final objective. That objective was the complete control of the other races by humanity, a galaxy where humans ruled while the other races served. That dream may take years to bring into reality but already progress was being made, excluding failures such as this. Jakalas had failed them and as a result he had paid the ultimate price. The Colonel had no trouble killing turians seeing as they weren't human and so shouldn't be treated the same.

At the same time the Cerberus strike team would be clearing out the laboratory out in the wilderness some thirty kilometres away. They should be just about finished by now, destroying all evidence of the Alliance run laboratory and the research it was undertaking there. Cerberus had gotten everything it had needed from the lab, the strike team having been ordered to kill all the scientists and torch the entire complex.

_All in a day's work_, Colonel Sommers thought with a smile as he started towards the rover parked outside and the very same one he had used to get here in the first place. He would be back in his shuttle within the next hour and would be off of Hallian within the next four hours. He couldn't wait to get off of this planet, being sure to detonate the explosives an infiltration team had planted throughout the turian military base from a safe distance but close enough to watch the action unfold.

It was rather amusing watching the scene unfold from a distant cliff-face using a pair of high-powered binoculars. While the base went up in flames Sommers stood watching through his binoculars, a smile on his face and a warm feeling flowing through him as each structure in the base went up one after the other. The detonator was held in one hand, the binoculars in the other while he chewed on a small chunk of bubble gum which he had stuck into his mouth before the "show" had begun.

Each building was reduced to nothing but flaming and smoking ruins, the many soldiers posted in the base being consumed by the fire. Only three would survive today and those three weren't even at the base, having been sent off to investigate the laboratory complex with a few others. Colonel Sommers had no clue that seven years later he would be meeting and hiring one of these turians to become part of one of Cerberus' master plans.

* * *

**Note:** The next chapter may have the rating bumped up to 'M', although I'm still deciding whether or not I should edit it to keep it at a 'T'.


	17. Epiphany

**Location:** A motel in the Wards, Citadel, Serpent Nebula cluster

A couple of hours had passed since Kynarus had escaped from the clutches of Dieter Sturlmann and his goons, the turian making his way through the streets of the megatropolis that was the Citadel and then into the Wards. He caught many strange glances from others as he walked along, seeing as he was only wearing a set of ruined trousers and that his thigh had begun bleeding a fair bit because of the bullet he had taken there.

The anger Kynarus had felt while slaughtering the Zahni Corporation officers before being thrown to the side by that biotic soldier had diminished by now, the turian having returned to his usual casual and calm demeanour. He was still angry about what had occurred between him and the female turian Yelina and so had told himself he wouldn't mention a word of it to Katherine when he finally caught up with her. He was embarrassed about it and could still feel annoyed whenever he thought of how easily she had lured him back to her apartment. Dieter had paid her to do that but Yelina hadn't been betting on being taken prisoner as well, about to be cut up by the krogan before Kynarus had broken free of bonds and killed the krogan. It had been a little satisfying to watch as the krogan bled out from its slashed throat, falling onto the floor and twitching a little before its life ebbed away entirely.

Kynarus had then freed Yelina and had somewhat enjoyed yelling at her, finally getting rid of her. He didn't feel any guilt about the way he had reacted towards her, relieved that she had run away from him at her own accord and hopefully would never bother him again. She had said she had loved him but unfortunately Kynarus hadn't felt the same way.

One other thing that Kynarus was annoyed about was how Dieter had escaped once again, slipping through a thick metal door during the shootout in the maintenance room. That would have to be the third time Dieter had escaped from him and it was beginning to get on the turian's nerves. Every time it seemed that Kynarus would finally finish Dieter off for good something would happen, whether it be Cerberus commandoes attacking the building or the fact that the door Dieter escaped through had locked shut behind him. Kynarus was going to make sure the next time he met Dieter it would be the last, making sure to kill the human this time and not to hesitate or get distracted. Distractions had cost him so much the past three times, first it being on Talerian when he had chosen to save Katherine and the next time being because those Cerberus commandoes decided to attack at that time.

Kynarus had begun to piece the puzzle together although some things still didn't make much sense. He knew about the Zahni Corporation and how it wanted to get hold of the mysterious package and he had been told about the Cerberus group by Katherine over the communicator and how it also wanted the package. The two organizations were obviously having some sort of competition to see who would get the package first, making sure their opponent didn't get it before they did. Kynarus had been dragged into all of this by Colonel Sommers who could very well be Cerberus for all he knew and this was why he hadn't bothered calling the Colonel yet. He needed to be sure of his facts before he did anything.

It seems that the whole situation was slowly spiralling out of control since now he had both Cerberus and Dieter's goons after him. Both groups were powerful and had access to virtually any records and files they wanted meaning they could probably track him and Katherine with ease. That meant his best bet was for him and Katherine to get off of the Citadel as soon as possible before either Cerberus or the Zahni Corporation caught on to their location.

Kynarus had by now gone down into the Wards, making his way through the winding halls and corridors while ignoring the glances he got from pedestrians who seemed to think it odd a topless turian would be limping around in public while their thigh bled profusely. The pain in his thigh was only a dull throb and he had bandaged it up with some bandages he had found back in the maintenance tunnels, hoping it would ease the bleeding long enough for him to get proper help. Using a public clinic would be too risky which was why he had decided to find the room Katherine was renting and patch himself up there with whatever he could find.

Kynarus hobbled through the corridors, remembering the address Katherine had told him. It hadn't been wise saying such details over the phone but he doubted Cerberus and Dieter's goons were in much of a state right now to do anything about it. Chances were they hadn't even been listening in to the many calls being made around the Citadel in the hope of hearing a single one between him and Katherine. The turian did have that feeling that either Cerberus or Dieter would be waiting for him at the motel room but thankfully that didn't seem to be the case when he finally arrived.

The room was at the back of a bar run by a volus, the short and enviro-suited mole-like species that hailed from a planet with heavier gravity. They were a client race of the turians, handling the financial and mercantile aspect of things. This volus was standing at the bar bench, running some dirty glasses under a tap. The bar itself had only a few shady humans and turians in it, being one of the more seedier establishments of the Wards.

Kynarus hobbled over to the volus, looking around to quickly determine whether or not the other patrons in here were of any threat. A few of the turians and humans ignored him while some simply glanced at him, trying to figure out why the turian wasn't wearing a shirt before turning around and back to what they had previously been doing.

The volus looked up while it washed the glasses, seeming to examine Kynarus but it was hard to tell since its face was completely hidden by the sealed helmet it was wearing. It didn't seem to think much of why Kynarus wasn't wearing anything other than his pants which stank of urine nor did it seem to notice the dark blue blood oozing slowly from the bullet wound in his thigh. Instead, the volus went straight to business.

"How may I help you, member of the Palaven-clan?" The volus were often using such words with the other species and apparently all turians were of the "Palaven-clan" even if they weren't from Palaven. Funnily enough, Kynarus _was_ from Palaven.

"Right…I was…well…" Kynarus found it hard to form a proper sentence, his mind still full of nagging thoughts about his whole situation. What if Cerberus had laid a trap in the motel room and had captured Katherine? He doubted he would last long in a shootout right about now but he didn't want to get captured again. God only knows what Cerberus would do to him.

"Is there something you want? A drink, maybe?" The volus asked, sensing the uncertainty in Kynarus' voice. The turian shook his head in response, quelling the nagging thoughts in his head and getting straight to the point.

"Did a human woman by the name of Katherine get a room here?" Kynarus asked, "She's expecting me."  
The volus paused to think about this for a moment, nodding its large head. It pointed towards the corridor to the left of the bar bench, telling Kynarus the directions.

"You must be the turian she's waiting for," the volus said, "simply go through the corridor and then up the stairs at the end. From there the dor will be the first one on your right."

Kynarus nodded, starting on his way towards the corridor. The volus said something as he left but Kynarus didn't hear it, concentrating more on where he was going than anything else. The turian followed the volus' directions, going up a set of stairs to the second floor and approaching the first door that he found on his right. There were about six other down the length of the corridor, all occupied and all locked shut. Kynarus fingered the buzzer by the door; ringing it and hearing a familiar voice break over via the intercom. Hearing Katherine's voice again was enough to take the edge off of him considerably and Kynarus immediately ceased thinking of those annoying nagging thoughts and listened to the sweet voice on the other end.

"Who is it?" Katherine asked, sounding a little uncertain. This was understandable considering she had been attacked by Cerberus earlier in the morning. She had told him all about over the communicator and also told him what she knew about Cerberus and how they were a strong anti-alien organization with the sole goal of human domination of the galaxy. It was beginning to make some more sense that maybe Colonel Sommers was with Cerberus, having hired Kynarus to do their dirty work before things had gotten out of hand.

"It's me, Kynarus," the turian replied, unable to help but let the happiness into his voice, "it's great to hear from you again. Are you going to let me in or not?"

There was a pause and then a laugh.

"Sure, handsome," she said, this not being the first time she had said something like that. There was a click from the other side of the door and it slid open, Kynarus briefly taken aback by how dirty Katherine was.

She was dressed in her usual outfit which included some black trousers, a grey undershirt and brown-red jacket. Her light brown hair was tied back in a neat ponytail but on her forehead was a superficial gash, probably from her run-in with Cerberus. Her clothes were browned and dirty and she smelt of fertilizer, the type that was thrown onto the gardens here on the Citadel. Kynarus realized she was looking at him in the same surprised way, Katherine probably trying to figure out why he was only in his trousers and was bleeding from a bullet hole in the thigh.

Kynarus stepped towards her, feeling the urge to embrace her. Katherine was about to do the same but they stopped centimetres away from one another, realizing what they were about to do and stopping.

"Right…uh, sorry…" Kynarus said, Katherine muttering something that the turian missed. He stepped past her and into the small motel room, taking note of the single sofa and vid-screen and the adjoining kitchen and bathroom. It was simple but it was better than nothing, Kynarus stepped towards the sofa and sitting down while testing how soft it was.

Katherine followed him, looking a bit unsure of what to say. She closed and locked the door behind her, turning towards her turian roommate and managing an awkward smile.

"Well…uh…you're alright," she said, "except you're not wearing a shirt. Why is that?"

Kynarus shrugged although the truth was quite simple. The reason he was in a shirt was because Dieter had caught him while in the process of getting dressed, having spent some hours with the female turian Yelina. When he remembered this he suddenly felt the urge for more of that mysterious red sand she had introduced him to but realized there was none around. He then realized this was the first sign of an addiction, craving something he really shouldn't be having.

"It's a long story," Kynarus said, "Dieter captured me and they chained me up and took my top off." This was a blatant lie but he didn't want to tell Katherine about Yelina, it would be better if she didn't know. The trouble that might ensue would be far too detrimental.

Katherine's eyes shifted onto his bare physique for a moment or two, Kynarus noticing this and shifting uncertainly in the couch.

"You're dirty," Kynarus said, "did you fall over or something?"

Katherine nodded in response, smiling at this remark. It was probably close to the truth anyway.

"I _did_ fall over," Katherine said, approaching him and sitting beside him on the couch. She turned to him, smiling a wry smile before her nose caught a whiff of something afoul. She traced it towards the turian's trousers but didn't seem all too repulsed by it.

"You smell like piss," she said bluntly, finding this amusing, "why's that?"

Kynarus could tell her why and it was only slightly embarrassing. He managed the turian equivalent of a smile and spoke.

"Dieter hit me with a sort of stun gun," Kynarus said, "it made me empty my bladder on the spot. I kind of haven't been able to change since then."

Katherine nodded, listening to this as he gaze shifted towards the bloody dark blue spot on his thigh. Her hand reached towards it, pulling open the flimsy trousers there and looking at the bandaged wound with a worried gaze.

"You're hurt," she said, her voice laced with genuine concern, "you really should get that looked at…"  
"In a public clinic? Yeah, right," Kynarus said, feeling his heart skip a beat when Katherine's fingers rubbed along his scaly skin there, "it's too dangerous. That's why I came here, maybe there would be something lying around that I could use to clean it up…"

Without saying anything Katherine put her fingers to one edge of the thick bandage, peeling it away slowly. Sticky dark blue blood stuck to the underside of the bandage before breaking away, revealing the ragged fleshy wound that went straight through the turian's thigh. For a moment she just looked at it, examining the extent of it before standing up.

"You're lucky it didn't hit an artery or something," she said, starting for the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Kynarus asked, unsure of why she was heading for the bathroom. He had grown to like her company, finding her to be quite the sweet type despite her fiery persona. That persona was probably only used for her job as a mercenary but hell; Kynarus liked it when his women had that sort of personality. They were more fun that way in more ways than one.

"I think there's some medi-gel in the cupboard here," Katherine said, pulling open the cabinet above the sink inside the bathroom and looking through it for a few minutes. She came out with a tub of medi-gel, sitting back down next to Kynarus and opening it.

Kynarus sat and watched as she used the fingers of her right hand to gently rub the gel in, the wound stinging a little as the gel cleaned and disinfected the wound. It would seal it off eventually, helping to stop the bleeding but until then it still oozed with dark blue blood.

Kynarus thought that maybe he should bring up this Cerberus and Dieter business but realized that he and Katherine had already said what had to be said the last time he had called her. She seemed to be thinking the same thing, looking at him and frowning.

"Why do you think they want us?" Katherine asked abruptly, wiping the residual medi-gel off of her fingers and onto the aide of the sofa. Maybe not the best place but it still helped clean her fingers and showed how much she wanted to be near Kynarus since she hadn't gotten up to wash them in the bathroom or kitchen.

Kynarus was put off guard by the question but quickly composed himself, looking into Katherine's brown eyes and finding himself almost lost in them. It took him a moment to answer, his mind having wandered during this time.

"Oh…uh…who does?"  
"Dieter and the corporation," Katherine said, frowning mockingly, "did you forget they captured you and chained you up? Why did they want you alive anyway?"

Kynarus shrugged, unsure of whether he knew or not. Maybe it was because he might have known something they didn't or maybe it was simply because Dieter had wanted to make a point by torturing him and Yelina. In reality, Kynarus had no clue why Dieter had captured him but he assumed that it had to do with Cerberus and Colonel Sommers.

"Probably because they wanted to know what I knew about Cerberus," Kynarus said before adding, "Which is close to nothing. I only know what you told me over the phone and that was after I had escaped."

"And you think this Colonel Sommers guy hired you to do Cerberus' dirty work?" Katherine asked, knowing about this since Kynarus had told her during their call a few hours earlier, after Kynarus had escaped from Dieter's clutches.

"Yeah, I'm beginning to think that's the case," Kynarus said, only noticing now that Katherine had her hand rest on his thigh and seemed to be stroking it gently. He tried his best to ignore it, instead concentrating on talking to Katherine.

"And you think that Cerberus wants us out of the picture because we know what they're doing?" Katherine asked, her hand remaining on Kynarus' uninjured thigh as she rubbed it gently. Kynarus could feel his heart beating faster, a familiar feeling he had in this kind of situation.

"Probably," Kynarus said, shrugging absently, "but I really have no idea. You seem to know more about all of this than I do…"

Katherine leaned forwards, putting her lips to Kynarus' nose and gently kissing him. The turian was taken aback, Katherine breaking from the quick kiss and looking the turian in the eyes, smiling at his reaction.

Kynarus had always thought humans to be a bit odd, especially in the way they dressed. Most seemed to dress in rather revealing outfits even though they had no scales or hide of any sort, having soft skin instead. The revealing outfits seemed to be very popular with young human females especially, Katherine falling into that category.

"I like you, Kynarus," Katherine said, a hand going to his chest as she tickled her fingers across. Kynarus could feel her soft, gentle touch against his scales and for a moment he was speechless. Not in all of his life did he think he would end up in this kind of situation with a human.

Katherine seemed to sense his uncertainty, raising an eyebrow and taking her hand away from his bare chest. She seemed a little disappointed in his lack of response and so put a hand to his uninjured thigh and gripped it firmly.

"Kynarus, I just want you to know I haven't felt the way I do about you towards anyone else in a long time," she said, her gaze meeting his eyes again, "I don't care if you're a turian, that doesn't matter to me. It doesn't make a difference in the long run, seeing as it's really personality that counts…" She trailed off; noticing Kynarus had relaxed a little where he sat. The turian could feel his heart beating rather wildly, more so than it had for Yelina. He put a hand to her face, being careful as to not let his talons break her skin and scratch her.

_Damn, you're beautiful_, he thought suddenly. He seemed to have the sudden realization that indeed he did feel rather strongly for this young human female, regardless of what species she was and the situation they were in.

"Something on your mind?" Katherine asked, having noticed the way Kynarus had started staring at her without saying anything.

Kynarus snapped out of his thoughts, putting an arm around Katherine and bringing her close. She didn't mind, Kynarus looking into her eyes with the feeling that yes, he did love Katherine… a feeling he had last felt with Lalias seven years ago. He didn't care that Katherine was a human, they both had plenty in common and both liked each other. It was definitely enough for Kynarus but he couldn't tell whether Katherine was thinking the same thing.

"I've just had a…uh…what do you call it?" Kynarus said, trying to think of the correct word for it.

"Epiphany?" Katherine suggested.

"Yeah, that's it," Kynarus replied, his hand going for the opening in Katherine's jacket. He helped her out of it, throwing the rugged and dirty jacket aside. He noticed that one of her hands had gone for the tops of his trousers, slowly pulling them down. Katherine managed a look at what was underneath and smiled at him.

"Don't you turians wear underwear?" She asked.

Kynarus had begun concentrating on undoing the belt at Katherine's trousers, only looking up when she said this. He chuckled slightly, not at all embarrassed.

"I was in a hurry," Kynarus said, looking into Katherine's brown eyes again. He took note of her dirty her face was, putting one hand to her left cheek and gently rubbing a section of the black smelly dirt away from her skin. He looked at her and then nodded in the direction of the bathroom, unable to help but let a smile crawl onto his face.

"You could do with a shower," he said, Katherine helping him with taking off her shirt. Now only in her undergarments she stood up, grabbing Kynarus' right hand and literally dragging him off of the couch. She started dragging him along to the bathroom, a wry grin on her face as she did so.

"You could use one as well," she said, almost casually.

Kynarus went over to the shower cubicle while Katherine went on with removing her undergarments, the turian unable to help but watch as he absently activated the water inside the shower. Humans looked so delicate, their skin far less effective at protecting their bodies than the scales of a turian. Kynarus had started the water by now, letting it cascade down into the cubicle and steam up the glass inside. He turned around and saw that Katherine had stripped completely, stepping towards him while he watched closely. He was first into the cubicle, the water hot against his skin but not too hot thanks to the computer systems that controlled the temperature of the water. Katherine squeezed in with him, the confines of the cubicle not especially spacious as he proceeded to kiss her gently on the side of the neck, able to smell the dirt on her and the water on both of them.

Kynarus put his hands around her and onto her breasts, fondling them gently. He was extra careful in making sure his talons didn't break her skin seeing as he didn't want to cut her. He took one hand away and reached for the small shelf underneath the shower head, finding a bottle of human shampoo and squeezing some into her hair. Turians weren't in need of such things seeing as turians didn't even have hair to begin with. He found human hair a bit of a puzzle to him but now that he was feeling it between his fingers it felt so soft and smooth.

Kynarus rubbed the shampoo through her long hair, being sure to take the hair tie out and let her light brown hair fall to her shoulders. He let the water run through it while Katherine stood quietly, only giggling quietly as he leaned forwards and began to kiss her neck. He tried his best at doing a human kiss, gently bringing his mouth together on her skin and pinching it slightly. Turians didn't have lips and as such turian kisses were different to human ones but Katherine didn't seem to mind. Rather, it sounded like she was enjoying it.

Kynarus let the water rinse the shampoo out of her hair before he turned her around so that they were facing each other. He put an arm around her and brought her close, feeling her breath against his neck as she kissed him there. She put her tongue to his chest and seemed to "taste" him, the turian quite enjoying the feeling.

By now his heart was beating wildly so he put his hands to her waist, able to see the hunger in Katherine's eyes. He lifted her up, Katherine wrapping her arms around his torso and her legs around his waist as he pushed her against the warm interior of the cubicle. Holding her there he put his mouth to her neck, kissing her again before bring his weight forwards and grunting. He felt Katherine tense and heard a pleasurable moan emanate from her throat, the human female's grip on him tightening. The turian kept thrusting, an all-too familiar urge returning as he kept this up for as long as he could. He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest and the heat of his body against his, while water cascaded over them.

Kynarus removed himself from her when he was done, looking into her eyes for a moment. Katherine simply returned his gaze, letting go of him while he set her feet down onto the floor again. She switched off the water in the cubicle and the pair stepped out, quickly drying each other off before Kynarus picked her up again and carried her into the living room. Through here he took her into the bedroom, resting her on the double bed while he went to close the door.

He turned around and found her sitting up, looking at him with a smile. She lay back as Kynarus moved onto the bed with her, hovering above her and leaning forwards so he could kiss her. First he kissed her on the neck and then the chest, almost able to feel the beat of her heart near his. He felt her lips against one of his mandibles, a feathery kiss that made his heart flutter. He leaned forwards, hissing quietly, cradling her hips and forcing his own hips against hers. Katherine moaned loudly at the sensation, her grip on him tightening accordingly. He kept on top, feeling her moist skin against his smooth scaly hide and there, for a moment, he lost track of where he was. All that mattered was her and for the next few minutes the pair moaned and grunted, Kynarus hissing quietly as a burning sensation formed at his loins. It was a lustful feeling and he gave in entirely, able to feel Katherine's hot breath against his neck. From there the only noises were of the bed creaking, the sound of flesh sliding over flesh and Katherine's loud moans. Kynarus only hissed, feeling Katherine rise up against him, her breasts pressing against his chest. He grabbed her left leg, watching as she arched her back while he pressed against her repeatedly, the turian emitting a low growl. He put a hand to her chest, holding her down as he thrust against her.

He was only dimly aware of her shouts, growling loudly at her instead, almost like a wild animal. He held her up with both of his taloned hands and slowly licked the side of her neck, tasting her and smelling her. He grunted with the effort, the bed creaking loudly beneath them from their exertions.

When they had finished he rolled off of her, lying on his back and breathing quickly as he tried to regained his breath. Katherine remained lying on her back; she didn't even glance at him as she realized what they had just done. He rolled onto his side, a taloned hand feeling over her right breast. He admired her body from where he lay, from head to toe. She returned his gaze and managed an exhausted looking smile. Kynarus only hissed quietly, his mind clearly focused on more of what they had just done. The air around them was thick with the smell of their love and of their fluids and Kynarus kept watching her where she lay.

She seemed so much more beautiful now, almost as if Kynarus' perception of her had changed. The hunger in her eyes was more than enough of a reason for him to move back on top of her and bring his weight forwards and into her again, pressing his scaly bulk against her lighter and smoother frame. He heard her groan and slowly build into a rather loud crescendo, Katherine yelling his name again and again. Their skin was slicked with sweat, Kynarus barely aware of the person under him as he bucked forwards again and again. Minutes later and the pace slowed, the turian breathing heavily as he removed himself from her.

They were soon finished, Kynarus climbing off of her and lying on his stomach on the bed next to her. She remained where she lay for a moment before rolling over onto her side and looking at the turian she had just made love with, the turian returning her gaze with a grin. She rested herself on his back, one hand going to the horns that went over the top of his head, a feature most turian males had. She felt along them for a while before she dozed off, Kynarus soon following her example as he closed his eyes and fell asleep. He still felt a little guilty about what he had just done but the pleasure had far outweighed the guilt and these thoughts were still strong in his mind as he dozed off, the heat of Katherine's body against his.

About an hour later he was awoken by her sudden movements, seeing that she was wide awake and looking at him with lustful eyes. The pair embraced and the turian rolled her onto her back, shifting himself on top of her as the pair went on to make love again.

* * *

Colonel Tiberius Sommers had been busy for the last few hours, attempting to organize what was left of the Cerberus team he had taken to the Citadel. So far Johannes had failed twice, first on Talerian and now on the Citadel while attempting to eliminate the human mercenary, Katherine Tyler. That was why Colonel Sommers had recalled the dozen or so Cerberus commandoes that formed the team, Johannes included, to a human run night-club in the Wards that was in fact a mere front for Cerberus. The nightclub was known as Club Norway, seeing as the human who owned it was in fact Norwegian.

Now though the usually occupied club was vacant save for Colonel Sommers and the casually dressed Cerberus commandoes. The Colonel knew all too well that once the boss found out about their failures here they would most likely be recalled back to Earth for reassignment. The Colonel, however, did not want to be reassigned considering he was close to making a break in the search for the package.

The main reason this meeting had been called was so the Colonel could tell his team what they were doing wrong and possibly even get Johannes reassigned. The South African simply sat at the same table, not saying a word while listening to what the Colonel had to tell him and the few other Cerberus operatives sitting at the table. They needed to change their approach and at least try and avoid getting the attention of the general public like they hadn't been able to avoid doing back on Talerian. Fortunately that incident had been covered up well enough so that the general public believed it had been a mere small-time terrorist group to cause the carnage and not the secretive paramilitary organization known as Cerberus.

There was also a much more important reason why the meeting had been called and only the Colonel knew of this reason, knowing full well it would help the whole operation greatly. Only about an hour ago he had received a call from someone claiming to work for Dieter who was willing to help them out if paid a fair amount of money. Cerberus, with its almost unlimited funds, could afford another informant and the Colonel had willingly obliged the deal. This would-be informant was due to arrive any minute now but until then the Colonel had some things to discuss.

"What I've been saying is that I believe in the abilities of each of you," the Colonel said, noticing that the eyes of all the operatives sitting at the table were fixed on him, "I am just disappointed in your recent performances, especially late yesterday in the streets of the Wards and back on Talerian. Both times you failed to achieve the primary objectives and both times ended with casualties in both civilian and local law enforcement.

"Johannes, you were in charge both times," Sommers said, eyeing the South African and noticing a malevolent glint in his eyes, "what went wrong? Late yesterday you and your team had to simply eliminate Katherine Tyler. Instead a shootout erupted and four operatives were killed as well as two turian C-Sec officers. What went wrong?" He asked the question again, his eyes narrowed with doubt.

The Colonel had tried to make himself sound as understanding as he could although deep down he really just wanted to get rid of the whole team and get given another, much more efficient team of operatives. Johannes was unreliable, his hey-day of being a good commando long over. All that killing and the high pay had finally gotten to his head, clouding his better judgement and causing him to become a bit overzealous in the way he went about doing things. This overzealous approach had seemingly been passed on into the rest of his team, especially in the case of the Talerian operation. Not only had Dieter escaped but so had Kynarus Vakarian, the turian originally hired to get them the artefact and then to be eliminated afterwards. Apparently the turian had to be killed because of his involvement in a certain operation that took place seven years ago, on the planet Hallian. It had been simply a case of getting him to do the dirty work for Cerberus before killing him in revenge because seven years ago he had killed a large Cerberus strike team.

The South African took a long time answer. He looked at the Colonel and then towards the ceiling, staring up at it for a long time before his gaze went back to the Colonel and he finally replied.

"I don't know…" The South African said simply. Colonel Sommers had been expecting this much for an answer and simply shook his head, partly in disbelief and partly because he was beginning to find Johannes' careless approach to be a bit of a liability.

"Johannes, do you want to be reassigned?" The Colonel asked, sounding a little exasperated, "do you realize how important this whole operation is? And just because of you and your team's efforts it's getting all stuffed up!" The Colonel raised his voice, the mix of male and female operatives looking at him with some slight surprise. Some were suddenly getting uncomfortable.

The South African just shrugged, though.

"How important is this operation, Colonel?" Johannes asked, sounding doubtful, "we've been on a wild goose chase for the last six months, trying to find this bloody package. Only until now did we actually get any leads and it seems they've proven to be either false or leading to other wild goose chases."

The Colonel listened to what the South African had to say, nodding but really not caring at all. The fate of humanity's survival was at stake here and the Colonel had to be stuck with a bunch of morons in his team. Maybe it was just bad luck.

"Johannes, do you realize that we're close?" The Colonel said, some anger creeping into his voice, "we're close to finally finding this package and the secrets it holds. The fate of humanity is at stake here so you shouldn't be so doubtful!"

The Colonel slammed a fist on the table angrily, making the whole thing rattle and the glasses on it move slightly. He reached into a pocket in his long-coat and pulled out a thick brown cigar. Sticking the end of it into the corner of his mouth he removed his lighter from another pocket and lit the end, puffing gently in an effort to calm himself down. There was no use getting all worked up about it since that usually lead to mistakes.

"We have no leads on the whereabouts of Kynarus Vakarian and Katherine Tyler," Sommers said, deciding to send the conversation into a different direction, "most likely they are together and down in the Wards. So far none of our local informants have mentioned anything so for now we have to play the waiting game.

"On the other hand I have a little announcement," the Colonel said, puffing again on his cigar. A thin trail of smoke flew off of the end, floating towards the ceiling as it expanded into thin but large clouds.

"It seems that one of Dieter's closest associates has decided to switch sides," the Colonel said. He noticed the operatives suddenly tense, exchanging uncertain glances with one another while some muttered things to those close to them. The Colonel waited for this to finish up before continuing.

"He'll be here in a few minutes if he's on time," the Colonel said, "but when he does arrive I'm sure he'll have plenty of information to share. So, we should all give a warm welcome to him when he finally does arrive…"  
"You've got to be kidding, Colonel," Johannes said suddenly, speaking on the behalf of the rest of the team, "it could be a trap. He could lead us straight into a trap…"  
The Colonel shot him a mean frown, the South African abruptly falling silent. It seemed Johannes still knew his place but the Colonel doubted that would last for much longer seeing the way things were going with him now.

"I know you might be thinking it's a trap," the Colonel said, "but you have to understand that here on the Citadel Dieter and his goons are low on manpower. They wouldn't waste their time sending someone here to set up a trap seeing as they would be too busy trying to get off of the Citadel in the first place. Dieter's place isn't the Citadel, his place is Earth. That's what you people have to understand. We have cells in all Alliance colonies and fronts throughout the known parts of the galaxy. The Zahni Corporation, on the other hand, hasn't got as much as we do. They're centre of power is Argentina.

"Here on the Citadel," the Colonel added, "we have the advantage. Anywhere else and it might become a little more even. That's why Dieter and his men have laid low while they're here, preferring to find whoever they're looking for before leaving. Our only leads right now are this new informant and Kynarus and Katherine but I doubt we want to bother with those two troublemakers right now…"

The Colonel could see his well-chosen words had eased the tension amongst the group a little, save for Johannes who was looking at the Colonel with noticeable doubt. Johannes had always been the hardest to convince, preferring to stick stubbornly by what he thought rather than easily accept reason.

"What if it is a trap, sir?" Johannes said, "We'll all be falling into it."

"Don't worry; I'll make sure this guy knows what happens to those who betray Cerberus," the Colonel said, hearing his communicator beep loudly. It kept beeping until he had pulled it out of one of the front pockets of his coat and put it to his mouth, flicking a switch and hearing the voice of one of the guards positioned at the club's entrance.

"_That informant's here_," the guard said, _"should I let him in?"_

"Send him in," the Colonel replied, standing up.

"_He's coming in now, sir."_

The Colonel ended the call and put away his communicator, ignoring the looks he was getting from Johannes. The Colonel made his way into the aisle that lead onto the club's dance-floor, a set of steps going up to the entrance. Coming down the steps was a dark-haired, blue eyed and rather young looking man dressed in the grey officer's uniforms of the Zahni Corporation. Wearing something like that would make him stand out in a crowd but the Colonel figured it didn't matter since no one on the Citadel would be very familiar with the corporation and what it did.

Cerberus and the Zahni Corporation had some things in common. Both had access to the most advanced technology in the Alliance and both had armies of loyal followers as well as spies and informants everywhere. However, unlike Cerberus which done its best not to hire non-humans the Zahni Corporation was far more willing to bring aliens into their ranks. Krogans and turians were the most popular seeing as they could also be the most ruthless although the Colonel had heard rumours about batarians having been hired as well. He couldn't quite figure out why batarians would even consider working with humans but he guessed the Zahni Corporation could be very manipulative. There were also rumours flying around that spoke of mind altering technology and synthetic humanoids, apparently explaining why the Corporation had so many loyal followers.

The Colonel preferred to take all these rumours with a grain of salt. Right now he had others things to think about, like convincing this would-be informant why it would be beneficial for both of them if he decided to work for Cerberus. He watched as the man came down the stairs and approached the Colonel, looking fairly unsure of himself.

"You must be Hermann Holst," the Colonel said, holding out a hand. Hermann only looked at it, shaking his head.  
"I'm not shaking anyone's hand until I know I'm going to be safe," Hermann said, looking towards the Colonel with his deep blue eyes, "if Dieter finds out about this, I'm dead…"

The Colonel could understand this much but there was still one question that was bugging him. He dropped his hand and tried to keep a neutral business-like demeanour in order to communicate to Hermann Holst that the Colonel was only interested in the business side of things.

"Why did you choose to suddenly change allegiances?" The Colonel asked, "I always like to know the reasons why our informants do what they do. You're no different…"  
Hermann paused to think over his response for a moment, seeming to fidget anxiously where he stood.

"Because Dieter's crazy, that's why," Hermann said all of a sudden, "I'm afraid of what he's got planned. He's losing his mind, like a little piece of it falls away each day…"  
"I can believe that," the Colonel said bluntly. He knew full well about Dieter's apparent mental crisis and mood swings. He also knew that Dieter was a hell of a shot with a weapon and knew some sort of special martial art with a long name that he had trouble pronouncing. According to past encounters with the lunatic it seemed that Dieter preferred using guns over his bare hands but was never afraid to whip out his fighting moves, managing to eliminate a whole squad of five Cerberus commandoes like this once. All in all, the man _was_ a lunatic. It was surprising that anyone actually bothered working with him.

"Is your loyalty with us now?" The Colonel asked. Hermann seemed caught off guard by the question so the Colonel looked towards the table where the operatives were sitting. He gestured towards Johannes to walk over, the South African obliging and stopping a few feet from the Colonel. He could see the uncertainty in Hermann's face and new full well the Zahni Corporation officer was having second thoughts. This was why he had called Johannes up; to help make sure those second thoughts went away.

"My men and women are loyal to the cause," the Colonel said, "I can even prove it, like this."

The Colonel pulled out his cigarette lighter again, this time nodding towards Johannes who held out one arm and pulled back the sleeve. The Colonel lit the lighter, slowly placing it so the flame was licking at the skin on the underside of the South African's arm. Hermann watched with some disbelief as the South African stood rigid, ignoring the obvious pain he was in as the flame burnt away a small section of his flesh.

The Colonel switched off the flame and pocketed the lighter, turning back to Hermann while the South African rolled up his sleeve again. Hermann had begun muttering under his breath, probably unsure of why he had even bothered coming here in the first place.

"Your turn, Hermann," the Colonel said with a grin while the South African went to sit back down. The Zahni Corporation officer went pale suddenly but the Colonel simply laughed, patting him on the shoulder in a light-hearted manner.

"I'm only joking," the Colonel said, "but I'm not joking about it when I say I want your full loyalty. First off, you'll tell us who Dieter is looking for here on the Citadel and why. Then you'll give us all the leads you have on the whereabouts of this person as well as those concerning the turian Kynarus Vakarian and the human female Katherine Tyler. Do you understand?"

Hermann simply nodded, the colour gradually returning to his face. The Colonel held out his right hand again, smiling.

"Can we shake hands on this deal, Hermann?" The Colonel asked, "Or do I need to shoot you here on the spot?"

Hermann reluctantly held out his hand, gripping the Colonel's so the pair could shake. The Colonel used his free hand to put his cigar back in his mouth, gently blowing on it while he managed a slight grin.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Hermann," the Colonel said. His smile made Hermann even more nervous but the biotic didn't complain about it, preferring to keep his mouth shut. Men like the Colonel tended to get angry very easily.


	18. Heinrich

**Location: **Citadel, Serpent Nebula Cluster

Opening her eyes, Katherine Tyler found herself lying in the bed of the motel room while the sheets had been pulled off of her and onto the other occupant in the bed. He was nothing but a large shape under the sheets and was still, the sound of his breathing quite audible in the bedroom.

Katherine could remember the events of last night and fund herself smiling while she thought of them, not at all guilty about what they had did together. He had been wonderful to say the least and she found herself feeling hungry for more, this being enough of an excuse for her to shake him out of his slumber.

She had always figured that sooner or later it would come to this. Ever since the pair had first met she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him, even if he was a turian. It didn't really matter seeing as he did it just like any other human she had known, albeit better. Her mind wandered to whether it would be best if they kept this a secret. Humans and turians could always be friends and it was commonly believed that was all they could be and nothing more than that. Katherine had obviously gone against this common perception since she and Kynarus Vakarian were now officially lovers.

The large shape underneath the sheets in the bed next to her stirred, followed by a loud and tired sounding groan while he struggled to bring himself out of sleep. One turian hand came up and pulled the sheets down, revealing the tired face of Kynarus whose crystal blue eyes were only half-open.

Another thing Katherine liked about the turian was his eyes since they were the type one could get lost in for hours. He probably didn't think much of it but Katherine thought that with those eyes he could probably get any female he wanted into bed with him. It had worked on her well enough. She also liked his casual but understanding manner, the type one developed over several years of being an easy-going sort of freelancer. He had a sort of authoritative handsomeness about him, his near-reptilian bird-like features helping to enhance this perception. He had dark blue facial markings running across his cheeks and under his eyes but those were fading, having been neglected for the past few days. The rest of his face was a silver-blue colour while the rest of him was slightly lighter, his scaly but muscular frame giving the impression of someone who exercised regularly. This helped add to his attractiveness, Katherine always having liked her men to be the muscular and brawny type. Kynarus still had that slender turian frame, it was just he had muscle to go with it.

Kynarus looked at her briefly for a moment, his eyes going down the length of her body while he took her in. His gaze then went back to her face and he managed a sort of turian smile, a slight curving of the corners of his mouth. It was hard to tell with a turian though seeing as they were somewhat limited in facial expressions.

"Awake, handsome?" Katherine asked, "Or did I wear you out last night?"

Kynarus didn't reply immediately, instead he reached over to her and wrapped a hand around her, bringing her close so that her slender frame was pressing against his more muscular bulk. His eyes were fully open now and he seemed to have tapped into enough energy to make himself look somewhat more alive than he had been minutes earlier.

They looked into their eyes for a moment before Kynarus "kissed" her on the side of the neck, attempting his own version of a human kiss while slightly pinching her skin there with his mouth. It didn't hurt, not at all; rather it felt more close and intimate than any human kiss Katherine had received before. She liked Kynarus' kisses and thought she could very well get used to them.

"I think I was the one who wore _you _out," Kynarus replied as he retreated back from kissing her, looking into her eyes.

Katherine only giggled, feeling his grip on her tighten as he gently rolled her onto her back. He began to kiss her again, feeling her writhe playfully beneath him as he proceeded to make love to her again. The moment was ruined when the turian's stomach rumbled loudly, Kynarus sitting up and leaving Katherine hanging as he realized something equally as important as what they were doing now.

Katherine looked at him with some slight disappointment but Kynarus didn't seem to notice, instead looking down at her and frowning.

"Are you as hungry as I am?" He asked. Katherine just looked at him, disappointed that the whole moment then had been ruined. Kynarus only laughed, rubbing her on the stomach while he sat trying to figure out what he should do next.

"There'll be plenty of time for this sort of thing later," Kynarus said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. He turned around, looking at Katherine for a moment before speaking.

"Do you want me to make something for you?" Kynarus asked, "or we could always call whatever room service this place has. We could have something special, a big breakfast you know?"

"Keep talking," Katherine side, rolling onto her side and watching the turian carefully. Her eyes wandered to the more interesting parts of his body while he stood talking; ignoring the fact that she wasn't watching his face.

"I can't have human food, it gives me indigestion," Kynarus said, "but I could try and cook you something. Or, like I said, we could order something big from downstairs so that volus can bring it right up…"

Katherine looked up and nodded, satisfying the turian's suggestion.

"Let's do that," she said, referring to the suggestion of ordering food.

"Alright then," Kynarus replied, bending over and picking up his trousers from the floor before standing up again, "what do you want?"

"Surprise me," Katherine said with a smile, leaving the turian to try and figure out just what she wanted. He quickly got into some undergarments before slipping on his trousers, turning around and leaving Katherine lying in the bed while he went out into the lounge to make an order over the phone there.

Katherine remained in the bed for another few minutes, able to hear the muffled tones of Kynarus from the other room while he spoke through the intercom on the wall and made his order. He seemed to be having trouble getting through, fiddling with the buttons and having to repeat himself several times before the connection finally corrected itself.

Katherine could tell she and the turian would get along great. They had already told a fair bit about each other to each other and they hadn't argued ever since they had met. Katherine paid a debt to Kynarus seeing as he had more or less saved her life back on Talerian. Back then she hadn't really figured she would have ended up in bed with the turian but things changed over time. Last night had proven that.

Katherine wasn't too worried about the situation they were in and was still having some trouble figuring it all out. Apparently they were wanted dead by Cerberus and wanted alive by Dieter and his Zahni Corporation goons. According to what Kynarus had told her it seemed that both organizations wanted the mysterious package which had in turn been discovered to have been replaced with a Cerberus fake at some point. Both sides hated each other and both sides were strong and it just so happens she and Kynarus were stuck in the middle. This probably wasn't the best position in the whole situation but there was little they could do except to hopefully get to the bottom of it all and get out of the firing lines of both Cerberus and the Corporation.

Currently she and Kynarus were low on reliable leads, their only lead being the Heinrich Walstedt guy that Dieter had come to the Citadel to find. They had no idea where he was and so the pair of mercenaries hadn't much choice but to sit around and hope something turned up eventually.

In the meantime that meant the pair could do as they pleased and this thought was making Katherine heart beat a little faster. She had enjoyed last night a lot and she wasn't about to finish up this morning (despite the fact that such terminology of the parts of the day were redundant on a place like the Citadel where the artificial sunlight was on at all times). She climbed out of the bed and stepped over to the wardrobe at the far side of the room, finding a rarely used nightgown inside. Slipping it on she exited the bedroom and found Kynarus in nothing but his smelly trousers standing by the fridge, the door open while he looked through what little was inside. He glanced over at her as she approached, nodding towards the bare contents of the refrigerator.

"There isn't much in here," he said, reaching inside and pulling out a bottle of fruit juice that looked like it was past its expiry date, "so, maybe I could interest you in a glass of expired fruit juice?" He smiled, turning around and closing the fridge's door behind him as he pulled open a cabinet and pulled out a couple of glasses.  
Katherine took her chance to get close, standing behind him and wrapping her arms around him and feeling his smooth scaly skin on his stomach. He stopped what he was doing for a moment, glancing at Katherine from the corner of his eye and slowly turning around.

"The food I ordered is going to be ready in about ten minutes," Kynarus said, "and I suppose that's enough time for you and me to…you know…"

Kynarus put his arms around her, holding her up as he moved her towards the bench and sat her down. She was laughing as he tried pulling down his trousers while he started on pulling off her nightgown, putting his face close to hers and putting his mouth to her lips, kissing her briefly before moving his head down and kissing her on the neck and onto her bare shoulder.

Once again the moment was ruined but this time it was by the beep of a communicator, coming from where Kynarus had left his last on the table in the lounge. Kynarus and Katherine exchanged glances, the turian seeing the slight disappointment in Katherine's eyes but managing a smile as he pulled himself away from her.

"Plenty of time for this sort of thing later," he said but was unable to hide the disappointment that crept into his voice, walking over to the table and picking up the beeping communicator. He pressed a button and put it close to his mouth, unsure of who might be calling him at this time. The only person that had called him since he had arrived on the Citadel had been Katherine and she was right in the room with him, watching from a few metres away with some scrutiny.

The voice that broke the brief silence that had descended upon the room sounded like it had been digitally altered, being the work of someone who was obviously quite paranoid about being identified over the phone. It didn't sound like anyone Kynarus knew but then again it was hard to tell when it was completely altered, sounding more like the voice one would expect from an old computer than anything else.

"_Kynarus Vakarian?"_

Kynarus was surprised to hear that the voice knew his name. Kynarus glanced over at Katherine, suddenly feeling a little worried about their safety. Calls like this could be easily traced and Kynarus could very well be leading their enemies straight to him and Katherine.

"Yes, that's me," Kynarus said carefully, "who wants to know?"

"_It's not who that matters, Vakarian. It's what information I have to offer."_

Kynarus decided not to fall for such a ploy so easily, preferring to play it safe with the unknown caller while he tried to figure out whether it was a setup or not. If this caller had information to offer sure, that was all well and good but Kynarus was still feeling a bit paranoid to not quell the thought that the call could be being traced.

"The only thing stopping me from hanging up right now is the fact I'm slightly curious as to what you have to tell me," Kynarus said, noticing that Katherine was looking as worried as he was. She was thinking the same sort of thing, knowing full well that it could all be a trap. She shook her head while Kynarus glanced at her, obviously in a gesture to get him to hang up.

"_I don't think hanging up would be in your best interests Vakarian,"_ the voice said, _"you're already close to being tracked down by your enemies. Bear with what I have to say and maybe you'll get a head-start on Cerberus…"_

Kynarus didn't like the sound of this but found himself listening on anyway, preferring to humour the caller for a while and see where it got him. If Cerberus commandoes charged down the door he figured that would just be bad luck.

"Keep talking," Kynarus said, trying to keep his voice stable and at its normal tone, "and cut to your point, exactly. What is it you want to tell me?"

There was a laugh from the other end, followed by a cryptic statement.

"_You were always the blunt type, Vakarian,_" the voice said. Kynarus felt his heart skip a beat, this statement enough to send his mind into gear while he tried figuring out who this could possibly be. Their voice was being altered so identification by simply hearing the caller's voice was out of the question. The caller was obviously someone who knew Kynarus or had known him for long enough to figure his personality out to some extent.

"I'm beginning to think that maybe you know me…" Kynarus said, looking towards Katherine again and seeing her shake her head again. Kynarus was intrigued by now, knowing full well that he might be able to identify whoever this caller was if he just played along with what the caller had to say.

"_Don't worry about me, Vakarian,"_ the voice said in a slightly mocking tone, _"just listen to what I have to tell you._

"_If you and your human girlfriend are so intent on getting to the bottom of the situation you're in and discover just what is so important about the mysterious package perhaps you should take heed of what I'm about to tell you. It'll help you both enormously."_

Kynarus exchanged another glance at Katherine, both of them thinking the same thing. The term "human girlfriend" made Kynarus realize that their enemies were probably already thinking about the extent of the relationship the two of them had with each other and were probably already figuring out ways to use this against them.

"_The man Dieter Sturlmann is looking for, Heinrich Walstedt, was the very same man that gave Dieter the information about the whereabouts of the package in the first place. He is your best bet to finding out why it's so important and where it could possibly be._

"_Currently he has been in hiding, right here on the Citadel. Today however he will be spending some time in the Embassy bar in the main Presidium area. He's not very hard to miss and will probably answer to his name if you call him. Be sure to keep him alive, however, since a dead man can't talk…"_

Kynarus took in these facts as they were spoken, barely able to respond before the mysterious caller hung up. Of course by then the turian already had formed some possibilities of who the caller could be and where he could be calling from. The caller was obviously here on the Citadel and was probably connected to either Cerberus or the Zahni Corporation in some way. If this was the case then it was probably a trap.

However, the small byte of information that the caller had disclosed was enough of a reason to get Kynarus thinking. It was worth a look into, even if it was all just a setup. He could tell just by looking at Katherine that she was thinking the very same thing.

"Are you going to go?" She asked as soon as the call was over. Kynarus put the communicator back into his pocket and locked at her, knowing that the whole thing was a bad idea but a bad idea he couldn't turn down.

"Yeah," he said simply, starting for the bedroom again. He needed some decent clothes and he knew he didn't have time to go all the way back to his ship, instead searching the closet in the bedroom in an attempt to find something that fit. Katherine followed him in, frowning and looking somewhat angry.

"Are you crazy?" She said as he rummaged through the contents of the wardrobe, "it's obviously a setup. Can't you see that?"

He turned around, holding a typical grey civilian top designed for turians and took a moment to look at her. She was angry, he could tell as much but it just so happened that she seemed rather attractive while in this mood.

"It might be a setup but I can't exactly afford to not go and check it out," Kynarus said, quickly putting on the top which was tight around the neck but otherwise fit alright. He looked around the bedroom, locating his Stinger pistol which was still in its holster and lying on the floor by the bed. Picking it up he clipped the pistol and holster to the belt of his civilian trousers, simply watching Katherine as she continued trying to press her point and admiring the fiery personality Kynarus had taken a liking to.

"If you're going then I'm going with you," Katherine said, "if you're going to go out there and get yourself killed I'd prefer to be with you when it happens."  
Kynarus paused briefly while he adjusted his pistol's holster, eyeing Katherine with some uncertainty.

"Really? You would prefer to die by my side rather than leave me to die alone?"

Katherine fell silent for a moment, looking flustered and left speechless. She had more or less just revealed that she genuinely cared for the turian, something which made Kynarus feel warm inside.

"You must really care about me," Kynarus said, approaching Katherine and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "and I really care about you. But right now the last thing I need is your death on my conscience. I'm going alone and you're going to stay here and leave if I don't come back within a few hours. Do you understand?"  
Katherine stubbornly shook her head, looking into the turian's eyes for a moment while the pair tried to stare each other down.

"I don't think I need to take orders from you, Kynarus," Katherine said simply, "I can take care of myself. Just because I love you it doesn't mean you can start telling me what to do…"

"Uh-huh," Kynarus said simply, not really listening as he started out of the bedroom and back into the lounge while Katherine followed him close behind. He approached the entrance of the motel room, stopping before it and turning around to face the fiery tempered young human woman who he had come to love.

"I love you, Katherine," Kynarus said, putting a finger to her lips in an effort to quieten her down. He could see the anger still in her eyes and realized she wouldn't be giving in too easily. Still, it was for her own good if she stayed here while he went to check out the information the mysterious caller had given him.

"Even so, I think you should stay here. If I'm not back in three hours go back to my shuttle and leave, alright?" He said, managing a reassuring tone in an effort to calm her down. He didn't really like seeing her all worked up but could also see that she had calmed down a little which was enough to prove that he was getting through.

"I don't like this one little bit," Katherine said, "you seem so willing to go out on the whim of an anonymous caller. Why? Why don't we just leave and get as far away from here as we can?"

Kynarus thought about this for a moment. He had considered the option several times before but he knew it would be far more difficult than originally thought. Katherine probably knew this as well but was down to her last few good points to bring up.

"If we did that they would just chase us down," Kynarus said, realizing the full truth of their situation. They were in things too deep now and neither Cerberus nor the Zahni Corporation would be backing down anytime soon. That was why, when you were in it too deep the only was to get out was to go deeper. Kynarus had often operated as a mercenary by following this motto of his, having gotten out of so many tough situations before. This one, however, was tougher than most.

"The only way out of this is to get right to the bottom of it all," Kynarus said, trying the panel by the door. The door slid open, revealing a human waiter standing behind a trolley full of the food the turian had ordered. The human had only just arrived with the order and was surprised to see the two guests inside the room close to leaving.

"Food's here!" Kynarus exclaimed suddenly, glancing at Katherine, "maybe you and I could eat first and talk about this more over breakfast?"

* * *

The Wards made up the seedy underworld of the Citadel, full of winding corridors and suspicious store fronts and plenty of dingy nightclubs. The Wards were the bowels of the Citadel, above the winding maintenance tunnels and control rooms that controlled the station's movements. C-Sec wasn't as common down in the Wards than it was up in the Presidium area and this allowed all sorts of criminals to operate on a much easier basis, occasionally setting up shop in plain sight.

All sorts of "criminal" types could be found down here, from standard mercenaries and pirates to the more typical drug dealer and money launderer. Plenty of gangs were in existence down here, fighting each other and anyone unlucky enough to get in their way. Shootings were a little more common down here than C-Sec would let the general public believe but if one was careful it was possible to eke out a standard living in the Wards without getting killed. Carrying a gun was something most people down here did and Kynarus was no different, finding his way through the winding corridors and past plenty of suspicious shops and store fronts.

Kynarus had one thing on his mind at this time, having left Katherine alone back at the motel after they had finished eating the food Kynarus had ordered. She was still angry at him but had accepted the plan to remain at the motel and call him if anything happened. Kynarus, meanwhile, would follow up on the tip-off provided by the anonymous caller and find out whether it was a trap or not. All signs said that it was and all Kynarus was doing was getting drawn into it but it didn't matter, he had to be sure. If Heinrich Walstedt was at the Embassy bar then it was the turian's best chance to apprehend him and find out more about what was going on.

Right now though, Kynarus had a craving for something special. He had found his way to where one of his old-time friends and drug vendors was located, operating out of a small general store in a darker section of the Lower Wards. The drug vendor was a middle-aged human with greying hair and a stooped over appearance, someone who had decided that the profits from selling his general store type goods weren't enough and so had moved onto the far more profitable drug trade. Kynarus had often visited him for whatever he was into at the times he went, getting all sorts of "goods" from the old man for discount prices. It had been a while since his last visit and Kynarus was hoping the old man would still give him a discount after all this time of not actually having visited him.

Kynarus knew as well as anybody he had problems, especially when it came to illicit substances. He knew that giving into temptation would only put him farther down the road to becoming a full-blown addict but if all else failed he could put himself into a rehab clinic. There were plenty of them around in this day and age seeing as more and more people kept getting addicted to all sorts of substances.

Entering the shop and immediately recognizing that old, musty smell which he had always thought was from the age of the store and not from the old human, Kynarus slowly approached the counter. The human was nowhere in sight but the store itself was looking cleaner and tidier than it ever had been, indicating that the old man had gotten his act together and used his extra profits to fix up the once old and dirty shop.

Stopping at the counter, Kynarus managed a look around. The inside of the store was silent save for the sound of his breathing and he was about to turn around and leave when the old man suddenly shot up from behind the counter, his face neutral but it still managed to make the turian jump back in surprise.

The old man simply looked at the shocked turian for a moment, a wide mischievous grin forming on his lips before he burst out laughing. Kynarus didn't really share the joke, his heart still thumping hard in his chest from the sheer shock he had received.

The human held out a hand, a common human greeting and so Kynarus grabbed it and shook with him. Letting go the old man, Leonard his name was if Kynarus remembered correctly, he opened a drawer behind the counter and began to rummage through it. This was probably where the old man kept the more illicit "goods", knowing full well why Kynarus was here.

"It's been a while, Kynarus!" The old human explained, smiling, "good to see you're back to your old habits, though! You are, after all, one of my main sources of profit…"

Kynarus could tell the old man was merely joking, he obviously received far more customers than just a single turian but Kynarus decided to play along. It would increase his chances of getting a discount seeing as he was getting more and more low on cash. Katherine had had to pay for the motel room back at the volus-owned place and he was beginning to think that maybe Katherine was thinking he was merely using her. This wasn't true, Kynarus genuinely liked her and needed the financial help but it would be hard to convince her of this when she finally started voicing her annoyances.

"I'm here for…"  
"For something special?" Leonard interjected, pulling out a few small plastic containers filled with pills that Kynarus recognized from previous visits. He had tried every single type the old man had in his stock and had found only a few had the effects Kynarus liked. Most were stimulants and most were capable of sending him into an energetic frenzy, something he often needed so he could survive a dangerous assignment.

"I got what you need!" The old man exclaimed, "Including all your favourites! How about some dextryriobloseluniac supplements? Or maybe something a little more to your liking, proven to have twice as much of an effect on turians than on humans! It's called neokulimreliominac and it'll make you feel all warm inside!"

Leonard had always sounded like someone of a bad advertisement vid whenever he got into his selling mood but Kynarus was used to it, having paid a number of visits only to be sucked in by the old man's exclamations about the many drugs he had in stock.

"I'm looking for something else," Kynarus said, deciding to get to the point already, "something a little different. It doesn't come in tablet form; it's more of a sandy, powdery sort of thing…"

The old man looked thoughtful for a moment, thinking this through. He opened another drawer behind the counter, searching its contents for a moment before taking out a small bag of white powder. He placed it on the counter, Kynarus looking at it and knowing that it wasn't what he was looking for.

"The only powdery thing I have at the moment is this stuff," the old man said, his voice taking on a quieter, less annoying tone, "it's a human classic, Kynarus. They call it 'cocaine' or 'coke' or…"

"It's not what I was thinking of…" Kynarus said, looking at the goods on the counter and then the old man, "what I'm looking for is more of a red sand than a white powder…"

The old man nodded his head slowly, probably with a good idea about what the turian was referring to. However, he didn't go searching his drawers because he knew he didn't have any.

"I'm afraid I'm out of red sand," the old man said, "but you know me, Kynarus. You and I are friends; I can make a special order for you…"

"Don't worry about it," Kynarus said, thinking about whether he should leave empty handed or not. He picked up the small plastic sachet of the white powder, holding it up to the light and examining it closely.

"What sort of effects does this stuff have, anyway?" Kynarus asked, the old man having been anticipating this question. He knew Kynarus well enough to know the turian wouldn't want to leave empty-handed and would end up buying something sooner or later, whatever that something might be.

"It does different things for different people," Leonard said, "so that's a kind of hard question to answer." He paused, letting his words hang in the air for a moment while the turian examined the white powder closely.

Kynarus was a tad uncertain about the whole thing but he had that urge to satisfy his taste for something to get him high. He was yet again becoming an addict but again he didn't particularly care, telling himself he could control his urges this time but deep down knowing that wouldn't be the case.

"How much is it?"

"Usually three hundred credits for that much. For you, though, it's two hundred," the old man said, smiling, "because I like you, Kynarus. You've been a valued customer for the last few months and for that you deserve a discount."

Kynarus thought it through his head: should he or shouldn't he? He didn't particularly trust human made drugs but then again the majority of the illicit substances trade was taken up by human made products. This stuff, however, looked like it would be doing more harm to him than anything else. Kynarus realized he was probably short on time, Heinrich Walstedt could be leaving the Embassy bar soon and he didn't want to miss him. The turian reached into his pocket and retrieved the credit card, placing it on the counter.

The old human smiled; bearing those pearly white teeth of his while he picked up the card and slid it through the device on the counter, subtracting the necessary amount of credits from the total on it.

"Glad to do business with you again, Kynarus," the human said, handing the turian back the card, "just don't abuse it now, alright? I wouldn't want to see you end up a mess like half of my other customers…"

Kynarus simply nodded, pocketing the sachet of white powder and bidding farewell to Leonard, the middle-aged human with the perfect teeth who sold drugs, before turning around to leave.

Kynarus exited the store, several thoughts running through his mind as he did so. He already doubted the purchase he had just made and the fact he had no idea as to what the drug he had just bought actually did. Perhaps it would be more harmful than its worth but perhaps he would never find out considering he could very well be walking right into a trap.

The whole idea of following up on the anonymous call he had received back in the motel room had probably been a bad idea. He knew it was his and Katherine's only chance of getting to the bottom of the situation they were in and there was no turning back now, Kynarus was already quite intent on going up to the Embassy bar to see whether Heinrich was there.

He realized that Dieter and his goons would be stupid to do something to him in such a public place, the Embassy bar being one of those upper-class joints where important figures went to eat out. With this thought in mind and some restored confidence Kynarus started on his way through the Wards, finding one of the elevators that went up to the Presidium and riding it.

Stepping out into the sunlight struck pristine streets that made up the main Presidium; Kynarus took a moment to admire the view. The upper regions of the Citadel were so different to the Lower Wards that it always struck him as a somewhat vain attempt to cover up the underworld with a pristine sheen. Here, up on the Presidium, C-Sec officers patrolled constantly and civilians and politicians went about their daily business. They seemed to be forgetting the seedier goings-on of the Wards and the fact it was rife of the types of people C-Sec should be arresting. Kynarus realized he was probably one of them and grinned, knowing that they didn't have enough dirt on him to arrest him anyway. He could wander around here without the threat of getting arrested unless, of course, he done something quite noticeable. He knew he would have to get Heinrich Walstedt out of the Embassy bar by force, if he was anything like Dieter he would try and escape. If it was a trap then there was bound to be some sort of confrontation although Kynarus doubted this. Dieter wouldn't be stupid enough to start a shootout in the Presidium, especially in the Embassy bar which was a popular hangout for important politicians.

Kynarus took a breath of the clean, purified air that the Citadel was supplied with and took in the view from here of the large central lake and the statue in its centre. The statue was of a small scale mass relay, a testament to the very things that had allowed so many species to travel beyond their home-world's nearest stars. Without the mass relays the galaxy would be a very different place indeed…

Kynarus snapped himself out of this surveying, thoughtful mood and tapped at the pistol holstered at his waist. He knew what he had to do and he knew that Heinrich Walstedt could be leaving at any time. If it was a trap then he guessed that would just be bad luck but he doubted that Dieter was stupid enough to pull anything up here in the Presidium so Kynarus did feel some confidence about this whole situation. All he had to do was find Heinrich in the bar and get him out before taking him to somewhere a little less public so they could have a "talk". Kynarus was having trouble figuring out what this "talk" would consist of but he guessed it would be more about the mysterious package and its contents then anything else.

He knew, just as well as Katherine, that the two of them were in it far too deep. As well as that he and Katherine had officially become lovers so the stakes were higher, especially if Dieter worked this out and decided to use their relationship against them. If that ever happened then Kynarus really had no idea what he would do… If they threatened Katherine then he mightn't be able to control himself…

Kynarus stepped into the nearest alley, making sure no one was watching as he stepped over to the nearest waste disposal bin and pulled out the sachet of white powder he had bought off of Leonard earlier. Emptying the majority of the contents onto the top surface of the bin he took another look around, making sure he wasn't being watched as he promptly snorted the white powder.

It didn't feel quite the same as red sand but it still burned and tickled the insides of his narrow turian nostrils, passing into the front of his head and burning a little before that feeling faded away. Kynarus took a moment to discard of whatever was left, suddenly feeling a bit fidgety as he did so. Being caught with drugs on the Citadel was not a light offence and Kynarus could easily end up in prison for a while, something which he didn't particularly look forward to. So far he had managed to get by without getting caught but as always there was that feeling at the back of his mind that maybe one day he would slip up and find himself surrounded by law enforcement officers, getting cuffed and taken to the nearest station. That would certainly be awkward.

Kynarus brushed himself clean of any traces of the powder, making sure the sachet and what little it had left was hidden inside the depths of the dumpster. Attempting to compose himself he started on his way out of the alleyway, feeling a little strange as he did so. Once more he was on the way to becoming an addict but this was something he wasn't really thinking about, instead concentrating on getting to the Embassy bar and seeing whether or not Heinrich Walstedt was actually there and whether or not it was just a trap.

--

* * *

Heinrich Walstedt finished another glass of sarsaparilla, having preferred to not cloud his mind with the effects of alcohol. He had things to do today and getting drunk was not one of them so he had stuck to the sweet drinks instead, settling on an old human favourite.

The Embassy bar at this time of the day wasn't as full as it usually was. There were still a few patrons, seated at the scattered tables but otherwise it was fairly empty. It was officially morning according to the many clocks and the old fashioned wrist watch Heinrich wore around his left wrist but such things as time didn't mean much on a space station where it was always sunny. Heinrich had spent the last few months on the Citadel, acting as a sort of "information gatherer" for Dieter Sturlmann and the rest of the Zahni Corporation.

Heinrich knew about all the important events that were coming up, having direct access to the sorts of records the Councillors preferred to keep secret. He knew about the trouble on Talerian that had occurred as a result of Dieter and his men having a run in with that paramilitary organization known as Cerberus. He knew about the shootout in another section of the Presidium when it seemed that Cerberus had tried eliminating the human mercenary, Katherine Tyler. They had failed, unsurprisingly, and Katherine was still on the Citadel somewhere. Dieter wanted her out of the way, along with that turian Kynarus Vakarian. So far both had proved to be exceedingly difficult to capture and Heinrich was already thinking over a far better means of getting both of them.

Heinrich knew all about the latest in galactic news, from the induction of the first human Spectre to the trouble on Feros. Such things were worthy only as sidenotes to the Zahni Corporation and to Dieter himself seeing as he knew what they were attempting to achieve was far more important than Spectres and geth invasions on distant planets. Dieter hadn't said much about what was inside the package but Heinrich, being the very person who had found the information about the package's whereabouts, knew exactly what was inside. He didn't know what it was supposed to do and how it could possibly help but he guessed that was where his skills at finding information came in.

However, something had happened on Talerian to jeopardize the whole operation. The package there had been replaced with a Cerberus fake and the real one was nowhere to be found. Neither the Corporation or Cerberus knew of its location and that meant both organizations wanted Heinrich's services. Heinrich's loyalties lay with Dieter and his ultimate goals which was why he chose to hung around in public places such as the Embassy bar, knowing full well that Cerberus wouldn't try something to capture him in such a public place. If they did C-Sec would be on their asses within minutes.

Heinrich could confidently come here, order his food and drink as much sarsaparilla as he wanted. He had the money as well since working for the Zahni Corporation was a well-paid job, the type he had always wanted. Money, after all, was all that really mattered in the end.

Heinrich was sitting at one of the far tables, out on the balcony that provided a decent enough view of the pristine looking Presidium. Across the table from him were two of the associates that Dieter had sent to talk to him seeing as he was busy dealing with other affairs. Both of the "associates" were just Zahni Corporation goons, dressed in the uniforms of security officers for the Corporation and trying their big tough guy acts. So far they had told Heinrich the full story of what had happened on Talerian, from when the package was recovered to the intervention of Cerberus and discovery that the package was in fact empty and just around so it could lure Dieter into a Cerberus trap. Heinrich, of course, had been expecting the operation to run without a hitch since he was quite confident in the information he had gathered. This news came as a bit of a surprise and he was smart enough to realize that Dieter probably blamed him for the mishap.

"Have you told Dieter that I am truly sorry things didn't work out for him?" Heinrich asked. His voice was tinged with a slight German accent. He sipped from his latest glass of sarsaparilla, eyeing the two Zahni Corporation officers carefully. Both were carrying pistols at their waist holsters and both were probably unafraid of using them, even if Heinrich was a valued member of the Corporation. He wasn't going to start any trouble unless they started it first though so he sat confidently, sipping away at more of the soft drink while the two goons had attempted to get their point across.

"Dieter wants you to find out where the real package is," the officer on the left said, "and he wants that information before he is forced to leave the Citadel."

Heinrich paused for a moment, thinking about this carefully. He and Dieter were good friends; he doubted Dieter was so busy that he couldn't actually meet him in person. Maybe things were going quite badly in the whole operation, it was hard to tell.

"Does he know this will cost extra?" Heinrich asked, tapping the fingers of his left hand on the table, "I don't work for free, even if I am his friend. I always say that if you're good at something you can make money out of it. I'm good at what I do and so you're going to have to tell Dieter that it's going to cost a bit if he wants me to help."

The officers exchanged glances, seeming to think this through for a moment before the one on the left spoke again.  
"Dieter's happy to pay you," the officer said, "but he wants to meet you in person when you agree to the price. Perhaps you should call him and organize something…"  
"Can't you do that?"

"Well, I suppose we can," the officer on the right interjected, "but it has to be before the end of today. Dieter's planning on leaving soon and he wants you to come with him. He's already formulating some sort of plan but he needs your help for it to work. That means finding information, like you always do. Do you understand?"  
Heinrich nodded. Of course he understood: when Dieter wanted him to do something he would have to do it, otherwise he'll come bashing down his door one day. Heinrich knew all the dangers of working for the Corporation but was still loyal to them anyway, knowing the ultimate goals of the Corporation and how they would benefit the human race.

"What kind of plan is he formulating?" Heinrich asked, "Since if he's planning anything to do with Schraeder than it just so turns out that's what I had in mind. Is it? Is it something to do with his former boss?"

This question seemed to make the officers uncomfortable, partly because Heinrich knew his guess was correct and partly because they knew he didn't have much in the way of information to give them. They were probably beginning to think it was a waste of time but Heinrich knew better.

The officer on the left slowly nodded.

"He's planning on breaking out Schraeder," the officer said, "and he needs your help. You'll be able to gather information of the prison and on the possible whereabouts of the package. Schraeder may know but we can't be sure. Regardless, your help is needed and would be appreciated."  
Heinrich nodded, following the officer's words. Herbert von Schraeder had been the man in charge of the Zahni Corporation for a number of years. He was a powerful biotic and excellent thinker but up until the end of last year he had begun to lose it a little. He had been the one to originally formulate the plan to find the package and had ended up imprisoned because of it, having organized several raids that had turned up no hard evidence. He was in the most secure prison in the Alliance because of it, some fortress on Mars somewhere smack bang in the middle of the Sol system.

Originally Dieter had been confident that he would be able to find the package and thus enact the final stages of the operation but because of these recent mishaps that original idea had been effectively eliminated. Now Dieter could only hope that Herbert had leads on the whereabouts of the real package. Heinrich was the man who could make this idea of breaking Schraeder out a reality seeing as he could get any information he wanted.

Heinrich and the two officers didn't notice the casually dressed turian walk into the bar who was carrying a gun at his waist. The turian approached the bartender and spoke briefly, Heinrich failing to notice that the bartender pointed straight at him.

"So you need my help and you expect me to simply drop everything and go with you to Mars, of all places?" Heinrich asked, taking on a mocking tone, "you obviously expect too much of me. I have quite a good life here and I enjoy the pay I receive for helping Dieter out. That doesn't mean I'm ready to simply leave…"

"You're going to have to," the officer on the right said, looking a bit unsure about it all, "it's urgent. And the pay will probably be good anyway. So, what do you say?"  
Heinrich thought about it for a moment. He did have a good life on the Citadel but there was always room for change and perhaps he could take on this last mission before finally retiring. He already had a large enough retirement fund; he was just trying to get as much into it as he could before the day came. Heinrich was about to reply, having made his decision, when he felt something cold and comprised of a hard metal press against the back of his neck. He immediately realized what it was and noticed that both officers had gone for their weapons, hesitating when they saw Heinrich's predicament.

Heinrich tilted his head slightly, seeing the turian standing behind him and shaking his head. Of all things that had to happen today he was getting mugged by a turian.

* * *

Kynarus Vakarian was feeling a little strange and light-headed as he entered the Embassy bar. He tried to focus, trying hard to compose himself as he approached the bartender while his right hand hung by the pistol that was holstered at his waist. Looking around the bar he could see it was at a time of the day when it wasn't too busy and he could see the two uniformed officers sitting across from a human with dark brown hair. He had to be sure of his target though and so he got the bartender's attention, recognizing him as the same one from the last time Kynarus had been here.

"Hey, is there anyone named Heinrich here?" Kynarus asked casually, "I heard he was here…"  
Kynarus tried ignoring the light-headedness he was feeling, partly grateful that the drug he had taken minutes earlier wasn't directly affecting his perception. He was confident he could get his job done and the necessary information out of Heinrich before Kynarus felt the urge for something else to get him high. He wasn't really high now but that would probably changes soon enough.

He felt a little safer when he saw that there weren't a whole bunch of suspicious looking humans waiting for him. Rather, the only humans in the bar save for the bartender were the three sitting at a table out on the outside balcony. Kynarus figured Heinrich was one of them and was sure the bartender would know.

"Heinrich? I think he's the guy in the jacket sitting over there," the bartender said, pointing at the man sitting across from the two Zahni Corporation officers. Kynarus nodded in thanks, cautiously approaching Heinrich and standing behind him. The two officers didn't take much notice until Kynarus had taken out his pistol, pressing it into the back of Heinrich's neck but standing close so it didn't look like much. None of the other patrons in the bar noticed and this was just the way Kynarus wanted it to stay.

Heinrich tilted his head, eyeing the turian closely and with a surprising lack of worry. The two officers on the other hand had gone for their weapons, keeping their hands on their holstered side-arms and watching Kynarus closely.

"One wrong move Heinrich and I'll blow your brains out," Kynarus said quietly, leaning forwards so he was speaking in the human's ear, "and tell your two friends here that if they try anything I'll kill them both."

A smirk appeared on the human's face, apparently unaffected by Kynarus' threats. Right now though, the turian wasn't in the mood for any mucking around. He was feeling a bit annoyed and so violently bashed the human's head onto the table, getting looks and gasps from the other patrons while the two officers pulled out their side-arms.

"Don't mess around with me Heinrich," Kynarus said, his voice suddenly seething with anger, "because I've had about enough stuffing around lately. You're going to come with me and we're going to have a good talk about Dieter, the package and anything else I can think of. Do you understand?"

Heinrich, his head bleeding from a gash on his forehead, tried nodding but his head was still being held against the tabletop. Kynarus let it go but kept his pistol pressed against the back of the human's throat, the grin on Heinrich's face having disappeared.

Kynarus ignored the two guns trained on him and the way the other patrons, turian, asari and volus, were watching the scene unfold. Instead, he eyed the two officers carefully and pointed his pistol at one of them and then the other.

"If you two follow me I'll kill you both," Kynarus said, his heart beating hurriedly. The adrenaline was surging through him but he was finding it increasingly harder to concentrate, his vision wavering slightly. Regardless, Kynarus managed to lift Heinrich up and hold the gun to the side of his throat while the two officers looked on, their weapons lowered but their faces showing noticeable anger. They could very easily call for backup but such an act would be a stupid thing to do in such a public place since a shootout was bound to erupt. Instead, they stood watching as Kynarus literally dragged Heinrich along; the gun pressed to the human's throat at all times as they exited the bar and went up a short flight of steps. Kynarus could hear the bartender speaking into his communicator as the pair left, probably calling C-Sec. It didn't matter though, C-Sec wouldn't be able to arrive for a few minutes and this would give Kynarus enough time to get out of the area and find somewhere private to talk to the human. As the pair left the Embassy Kynarus put his gun aware, forcefully holding the human and guiding him out into the Presidium.

It was from here on that the stakes would get higher than they already were and it was from here on that things would cease going well for the turian. He had accepted Colonel Sommers' assignment, telling himself it would be his last one. It probably would if things kept up the way they were going, with both the Zahni Corporation and the Cerberus group after him and Katherine. That was why he needed Heinrich and the information he had because once you were in it as deep as this there was no way out but through.


	19. An Old Friend

**Location: **Citadel, Serpent Nebula Cluster

Kynarus had left about an hour ago, most likely walking straight into a trap. He was stubborn, to say the least but this was one of the qualities Katherine liked most about him. He always seemed to think what he was doing was the right thing, or at least the most efficient means of getting the job done. This probably wasn't actually true and she figured that Kynarus would be getting himself into just more trouble. She had been thinking of leaving and trying to catch up to him but she realized that he could be anywhere be now and she wouldn't have too much of a chance at finding him. That was why this idea had been quickly put into the back of her mind while more immediate thoughts came into her head, especially concerning what she should be doing while waiting for Kynarus to return, if he did return.

He had told her to wait three hours before leaving on his personal shuttle. She wouldn't be doing that regardless of what he said. She liked him far too much just to give up on him like that and leave, fleeing the Citadel in the hopes that neither Cerberus nor the Zahni Corporation would follow. They _would_ follow and they wouldn't give up on following until she was dead or captured. She wasn't too sure whether death was better than being captured by Cerberus since she had heard plenty about their interrogation methods. The Zahni Corporation, on the other hand, was very little known and thus she couldn't be too sure what would happen to her if she fell into their hands. She doubted any of it would be a good thing so if all else failed she would have to go down fighting and try her hardest to avoid capture.

She had encounter Cerberus in the past, especially during her final mission in the Alliance infantry. The 'Earthen Knights' had just turned out to be a bunch of rogue Cerberus operatives and the whole mission, it seemed, had been organized by the rest of Cerberus to remove these unwanted people since they had been causing more trouble and giving the organization far more attention than it liked.

_I had been captured then but the same won't happen again_, she thought, pacing around the motel room. She was dressed in her usual outfit of the dark trousers, grey undershirt and brown-red jacket. The jacket had seen better days, featuring a hole where Dieter had shot her and a few scorch marks from lesser wounds. It was a testament to the danger she was in almost every day of her life, first from being a mercenary and now from the situation she and Kynarus were in.

Until now she hadn't felt very guilty about what had happened the previous 'night' between her and Kynarus. On one hand it had been great and probably inevitable but on the other she knew it was something they couldn't exactly tell the general public about. As well as that, Cerberus and the Zahni Corporation could easily use it against the two of them. What better way to subdue an opponent than to threaten the one he or she loves?

That was why things like this had to be kept secrets. Of course, secrets were hard to keep these days and gossip spread like wildfire. There was surveillance almost everywhere and belonging to somebody, allowing them to watch the every move of whoever was in view of the surveillance. It was a ghastly thought, privacy being nearly non-existent but the way technology advanced so quickly allowed this to be more and more so.

Katherine had been killing time in the motel room for the past hour, first finishing off the breakfast she and Kynarus had ordered after waking up before trying to find something else to do. She was used to having nothing to do and so she had switched on the vid-screen in the lounge room, flicking through the many channels that the Citadel had to offer. There were some aimed at anyone in general while some were more specialized, with turian channels, volus channels, asari channels and a few human-centred channels. She found on one of these human-centred channels some sort of old black and white movie, the type filled with outdated slapstick humour and poorly made music. Sitting down she ended up watching the hour or so that was left, laughing occasionally but otherwise finding the movie to be the type that was more stupid than funny.

After this she was up again, pacing the room while the vid-screen blared in the background. She headed out of the motel room, being sure to lock the door behind her before starting down the hallway and down a set of stairs, entering the bar that made up the most of the ground floor. Sitting herself down at the bar itself, she got the attention of the volus standing at the counter and ordered a strong drink.

Now that she had nothing better to do she had returned to something which always helped pass the time: drinking. The more she drank the faster things seemed to go so she managed to down a few glasses before things started to pace a little. She watched the other patrons in the bar, taking note of each one in turn and watching and listening to whatever they were saying.

There was a turian with black and white facial markings sitting across from a similar looking but female one. They seemed to be arguing but were speaking in their native tongue, their voices getting louder as the argument went on. Katherine watched with some amusement as they both stood up, the male pointing an accusing finger at the female and yelling something in the turian language. He turned around and left, leaving the female to sit back down and wallow in her thoughts in silence, fiddling with the straw in her glass of drink while she did so.

Katherine hadn't really seen many female turians before and this was probably because most were restricted to being housewives. At least, this was what she had heard although there were plenty that did all the things men did. Some served in the military and some had good occupations but most were stuck at the home raising the kids. It seemed the turians were a little bit behind the humans in gender equality but they were catching up, only gradually but still doing it nonetheless.

The thought occurred to Katherine that Kynarus may have already had a number of females in his life. He was a turian after all and he had probably been in plenty of relationships, all with female turians and all having ended in one way or another. He had settled on a human woman, Katherine, for now it seemed but she was already thinking that maybe he would leave her when all of this was finished. This was one thing Katherine didn't want to happen though, seeing as Kynarus was better than most of the other guys she had met. He was also good in the sack but that was beside the point.

Katherine didn't like the idea of Kynarus leaving her when they had gotten through all of this. He might be thinking that Katherine was the only woman he wanted to be with but somehow that would all change once they had dealt with Cerberus and the Zahni Corporation. Katherine may very well just be the woman Kynarus uses to please his desires throughout this whole situation and once it was over he would leave, leaving her in the dark.

Katherine realized she was thinking too far ahead of herself. Next time she saw Kynarus she would want to hear the full truth about him and any previous relationships he might have had and what he really thought of her. She had told him he loved him but he hadn't exactly returned the favour as far as she could remember. They might have had one night together already but that was probably because Kynarus hadn't had much else to do.

She remembered she had been the one to start it last night, first tending to the wound he had in his thigh before playfully pulling off his trousers. Then they had shared the shower together and Kynarus had soon proven how good he was, regardless of the species difference. The thoughts were enough to make Katherine grin slightly, she had enjoyed herself and Kynarus had obviously felt the same. If she was indeed just a temporary lover than she doubted he would be trying that hard to please her.

Now he had left and had left her here, by herself with no one but complete strangers as company. It was certainly the sort of thing that never ended well but Katherine didn't have much choice in the matter, seeing as how stubborn Kynarus could be. He was simply going to follow up on an anonymous call and probably get himself killed. If he did than she wouldn't know about it unless he didn't return in the three hours he had allotted her. Not that she would be taking his shuttle and running away like a frightened kitten. No, that wasn't the way she did things.

Katherine finished her current drink and put the empty glass on the counter. The volus looked at her, its features hidden by the helmet it was wearing. That was understandable since Katherine was quite sure that if it took its helmet off in this atmosphere its head might explode.

"Do you want another, Earth-clan?"

"No, not right now," Katherine said, not really feeling like anymore alcohol. Instead, she stood up, dumping the necessary amounts of credits onto the counter before starting back up to the room. She didn't really feel like doing much else and she didn't have much of a choice in her options, entering the motel suite and sitting down on the couch.

She noticed she had left the vid-screen on, walking into the room while the volume was blaring. Some old Western was playing, men in cowboy outfits gunning each other down with old fashioned revolvers while they attempted to keep straight faces. It was entertaining to watch something as old as this, being broadcasted in its original black and white format to appease fans of this genre. Colourizing old movies was easy to do its just that not many people thought highly of it, deeming it as "unnecessary".

Katherine sat and watched about twenty minutes, barely following the thin storyline that had something to do with some outlaw and his gang and a disgruntled middle-aged sheriff. It was full of the stereotypes of the genre, with the typical damsel in distress type at one point. Seeing this made Katherine laugh as she realized just how far humanity had come since this movie was made.

The dodgy quality of the 1950s Western movie helped to take her mind off of things. For once Cerberus and the Zahni Corporation had gone to the back of her mind and were almost forgotten about. She still thought about Kynarus and where he was now, whether he had been ambushed up at the Embassy bar and was lying in a pool of his own blood. She felt genuinely worried but knew somehow that if it was a trap he would probably get out of it somehow. He seemed to have a knack for getting himself out of dangerous situations but he also had a knack for getting himself into them in the first place.

As the movie dragged on so did time. A particularly dull part of the movie started up as some of the characters decided it was a good time to start looking into each other's eyes and engage in overlong conversations in an effort to get the thin storyline moving along.

Katherine began tapping the fingers of her right hand on the arm of the couch, a habit she had developed over her years as a mercenary. She did begin to get increasingly anxious as the minutes went on, knowing that Kynarus should have found this Heinrich guy by now. Whether it was a trap or not would remain unknown to her for some time, Katherine spending about half an hour watching the Western movie before changing channels when she saw there was no more shooting happening.

She was surprised to see another, slightly later human-made movie playing. Some oriental looking guy dressed in white robes was displaying his martial arts prowess as he went through dozens and dozens of clueless enemy goons, twisting limbs and throwing them aside like they were nothing but rag-dolls. Katherine got thinking: she hadn't had a decent one-on-one with anyone for some time and thus hadn't really been able to practice her close-combat fighting skills. She was probably rusty, having relied more on firepower than her bare hands. She had always thought it better to be prepared for any possibility though.

It was at that moment she heard the door of the motel room slide open. Turning her head she was able to draw her pistol and stand up, the vid-screen blaring in the background as the men in the movie grunted and shouted, thoroughly beating each other up to the sounds of kicks and punches connecting.

Katherine's heart managed to skip a beat when she saw the familiar figure step into the room, having somehow bypassed the lock on the door. How he had talked his way past the volus was probably simple enough: this figure was flanked by four armoured goons armed with assault rifles. They weren't the synthetic ones she was used to seeing, being definitely full humans and they weren't even wearing helmets. Rather, they were wearing grey caps to match the colour of their armour vests, displaying the eagle wings insignia of the Zahni Corporation.

Dieter was the figure at the front, dressed in his usual dark coat and matching hat and gloves. This time around his was wearing a big smile as he laid eyes on Katherine and she thought she saw something in his eyes that she didn't like.

Katherine had faced a similar encounter back in the hotel up in the Presidium. That time it had been against Cerberus goons and she had managed to fight her way past them, blowing a finger off of one of them and incapacitating the other two. This time though it was five against one, odds that were definitely more against her than the last time.

She wasn't at all surprised that Dieter was here, having figured that someone would have tracked her down eventually. Now that it had happened she knew exactly what to do, moving her aim of her pistol so that it was pointed towards Dieter's face. He was probably wearing an armour vest under the coat and undershirt of his so she would be sure that this time she did the job of killing him properly.

Dieter ignored the pistol pointed towards him and took a few steps towards Katherine. The four armoured officers on either side of him raised their rifles, pointing them squarely at her. She stood her ground, trying to ignore the movie blaring from the vid-screen while she concentrated on the matter at hand.

"Katherine, it's so great to see you alive and well!" Dieter exclaimed happily, although it seemed more of a false sort of happiness than anything else, "I always knew you would pull through. I've been hearing reports of all the trouble you and your turian friend have been causing here on the Citadel. It just so turns out that C-Sec wants you for questioning but of course I can't let that happen…"

Katherine knew well enough why falling into the hands of C-Sec would be bad for Dieter. He seemed to want her alive; otherwise he would have ordered his men to shoot her already. They could leave within minutes and be off the Citadel within hours and no one would be the wiser. It was surprising just how lax security on the Citadel was. If she fell into the hands of C-Sec it would be near impossible for Dieter to get a hold of her.

"Cooperate Katherine and you'll remain intact," Dieter said, "if you don't cooperate then I'll have to order my officers to forcefully subdue you. Trust me on this: the latter option will hurt a lot more."

Katherine wasn't too sure why Dieter wanted her alive but then again it wasn't too hard to realize it had been his plan all along. He had made sure not to shoot her anywhere important back on Talerian and had made sure to talk Kynarus off of his tail to go back and help her. Maybe it was because she was necessary to whatever scheme he had or maybe he liked her. The last thought made her shudder but otherwise she kept her pistol held tightly in her right hand, making sure it was aimed so her first shot would get Dieter right between the eyes.

"Go to hell, Dieter," Katherine said bluntly, not at all in the mood to deal with him. Her finger was beginning to squeeze the trigger, pulling it further and further back so that it hung on the brink of firing. Dieter seemed to notice this, eyeing the pistol with some caution but keeping that annoying grin of his on his face.

"Katherine, you don't understand how vital you are to the success of the whole operation," Dieter said with some slight anguish, "we've managed to apprehend your turian friend so I think if you don't want anything to happen to him you should simply cooperate…"

They had Kynarus? Katherine was put off-guard by this announcement, surprised at how sudden the news was. If they had Kynarus then she was effectively putting his life in danger by not cooperating. She had known all along the call had been a simple trap and Dieter had been smart enough to know that Kynarus couldn't pass up the sort of opportunity the call had presented.

"I swear, if you hurt him…"

"He's alright but he is unconscious," Dieter said, interrupting Katherine mid-sentence, "if you work with us, Katherine, he'll remain moderately intact. I must say, it was surprisingly easy to get him, finding him in the process of interrogating a good friend of mine. So, please, come with me…"  
Katherine hesitated for a moment. Dieter probably wasn't lying, she could tell and had always been able to tell when someone was lying or not. Of course this ability only worked on humans seeing as all the species was different.

Katherine didn't want to cooperate nor did she want to endanger Kynarus. She was split between the choices, with no real clue as to why she was so important to Dieter's plans. This was why she asked and wasn't surprised with the answer he gave her.

"Why do you need me?" Katherine asked, trying to keep the anger out of her voice but this mostly failed, "why? I don't see how I fit into all of this…"

"We need you to convince your turian friend when he wakes up to help us," Dieter said, "of course, now isn't the time to give you all of the details. Right now what I need is your cooperation and you haven't yet given it to me…"

Katherine looked into the Austrian's eyes, split between the choices and almost enraged at the way things were playing out for her. She shouldn't be hesitating but she was, preparing to fire but lowering her pistol. She raised it again but saw that Dieter knew she wouldn't fire, knowing that she knew that if she killed him Kynarus would probably be killed in return. She couldn't let that happen to him, not after what they had done together…

Still, that didn't mean Dieter needed the four goons with the guns. She changed her aim and fired at the one on Dieter's right, the shot echoing through the small confines of the motel room as the pistol bucked back slightly in her grip. Part of the officer's head disappeared, his cap flying off and landing on the floor behind him. The officer stumbled backwards, a look of surprise on his face as blood trickled down his cheek from the massive chunk that had been blown out of his skull. He fell onto the floor while Dieter and the other three officers looked on with some surprise.

_That's why you always wear helmets boys,_ Katherine thought with a grin. She switched her aim to the next goon but wasn't given a chance to fire, Dieter suddenly erupting into a lightning quick kick which sent the gun flying out of her right hand and thumping dully on the carpet at the other end of the room. For a moment Katherine just stood there, stunned and completely put off-guard. She wasn't ready for how Dieter lunged towards her, Katherine swinging a punch only to hit nothing but air as Dieter ducked beneath it and kicked her legs out from beneath her.

She fell onto the floor, Dieter going down to grab her but Katherine regaining her senses quick enough to reply with a kick to his groin. While Dieter went down, a look of sheer agony on his face the three remaining goons went to fire. Dieter shouted something at them in what sounded like German, the three officers immediately lowering their rifles and clipping them onto the small latches at the back of their suits of armour. Each of them retrieved the short metal batons that hung at their waists, flicking a switch on the weapons which extended the batons until they were about a foot long. The three officers raced towards Katherine while Dieter struggled onto his feet, attempting to shrug off the pain that flowed through him.

Katherine rolled to one side, avoiding the first set of blows. She kicked with both of her legs, knocking one of the officers over and leaving him temporarily stunned as the other two swung their batons. She slid out of their way, hearing them clunk loudly on the floor near her as she used her arms and legs to push her along the floor. She managed some distance between the two officers, jumping onto her feet and remembering all that time she had spent training in hand-to-hand combat.

The officer she had knocked down was back onto his feet and now the three of them approached her, Dieter standing behind as he watched them get to work. Katherine ducked under the first swing, connecting a left hook with the first officer's throat in return. He gargled slightly before falling onto the floor, writhing about as he tried to catch his breath. The other two officers swung their batons, Katherine side-stepping one while using her left arm to block the other. The pain was intense and she gritted her teeth, running forwards and forcing all of her weight onto the officer that had hit her. She knocked him backwards and onto the couch, kicking him in the stomach as he went down. She swivelled on the spot just as the last officer lunged towards her, poorly timing his attack and making it very easy to counter. Katherine sidestepped his lunge and grabbed him as he went past, struggling to stop and turn around to try and connect another blow. Katherine pushed him, sending him into the wall behind her head first. He slumped onto the floor, unconscious with a gash in his forehead. Katherine figured he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

She turned around and wasn't able to react fast enough to counter Dieter's quick, lightning fast blows. He displayed some knowledge of some sort of martial arts, his legs and arms moving in a flurry of connected kicks and punches. Katherine felt the wind knocked out of her as she struggled against the seemingly never-ending wave of attacks, being knocked to and fro before she finally fell backwards and onto the floor.

Within seconds Dieter was behind her, grabbing both arms while forcing her to stay kneeling on the floor. He pulled both her arms behind her back, his grip tighter on the left as he put them into an easy-to-break position. He spoke into her ear, his voice layered with some annoyance and only slightly short of breath but otherwise he was still in his usual mood. He was grinning again, keeping his grip tight on Katherine's arms.

Katherine was utterly defenceless while she was kneeling on the floor like this, only able to give Dieter a look that showed her hatred of him. Dieter let her right arm down a little but otherwise still gripped it tightly, instead concentrating his efforts on the left as he brought it further up and across her back. Katherine grunted at the pain but kept a straight expression, trying her best to not show that Dieter was having an effect on her.

"So much trouble for such a beautiful woman," Dieter said, trying to keep his usual upbeat tone but finding it hard while his balls ached, "but I think you'll cooperate now, won't you?"

"Go fuck yourself," Katherine said. No sooner had she finished saying this when Dieter, in one quick and fluid motion, twisting her left arm in such a way a section of jagged and broken bone shot out of her elbow. Katherine screamed, her eyes watering as tears streamed down her face. The pain was excruciating and she suddenly felt light-headed, bordering on passing out. She barely felt Dieter let her go, letting her fall forwards and onto the floor as she managed a single glimpse at her broken arm. The bone at her elbow was indeed sticking out, blood flowing freely from the wound as pain shot from the fracture and throughout her body. She didn't pass out, remaining conscious despite all her efforts to fall into sleep so she didn't need to feel the pain she was in. It was more than she had ever felt before and would definitely impede her combat performance.

_Oh my God, he just broke my fucking arm!_

_Pull yourself together, damn it! You're still alive, aren't you? Pain lets you know you're still alive!_

She watched from her peripheral vision as Dieter reached into a pocket in his jacket and removed a small metal injector which was loaded with a clear looking fluid. He stuck the syringe part of it into Katherine's neck while she lay on the floor, a brief hissing noise following as the contents of the vial filled with the liquid shot into her system. Within seconds Katherine was unconscious, this being more an act of mercy because now she wouldn't be able to feel the pain and less of a forceful means of subduing someone. Now, all she had to do was wake up…

* * *

Only about an hour earlier, Kynarus Vakarian had stepped into a small dark room with a lone, seated figure inside of it. That seated figure probably wouldn't be seated if he wasn't tied up to the chair and being forced to sit down. Kynarus had made sure the ropes were tight, having found this secluded store room in a disused warehouse in a less interesting part of the Presidium. This kind of place was always a safe haven for criminals, the doors and windows having been smashed open some time ago by previous occupants and creating a sort of "free" entry to the warehouse. Graffiti was all over the walls and written in a variety of languages, including some in turian.

Kynarus stopped in the doorway, shaking his head for a moment as he tried to concentrate. He felt a bit anxious and a bit fidgety, unable to keep still and so began tapping his taloned fingers against the inside of the doorway, using his excellent eyesight to make out the lone seated figure in the darkness.

Kynarus hadn't had much of a plan t follow up on once he had gotten hold of Heinrich Walstedt. Rather, he had been expecting the whole thing to be a sort of trap but surprisingly it hadn't. He had managed to get away from the Embassy bar with Heinrich in tow, taking the transit system to the warehouse district and finding this small, forgotten nondescript warehouse that wasn't currently occupied by other criminal types. Kynarus had managed to find some tough nylon rope and had tied Heinrich to a rickety wooden chair in the centre of what used to be an office. The office was now an empty square of a room, the furniture having been stolen years before as well as anything else that wasn't bolted down. The carpet was stained with all sorts of interesting substances, some of which Kynarus wasn't too keen on touching.

Kynarus realized it must be the drugs making him like this, continuously anxious and fidgety while his heart thumped in his chest. He didn't know how he would handle himself while he tried getting any useful information out of Heinrich but he would try anyway; he had gotten this far after all. He was yet to be ambushed by either Zahni Corporation goons or Cerberus commandoes so that must be saying something about either their disorganization or his luck.

"Lights—on," Kynarus said, his voice breaking the silence of the dark room. The single LED light in the ceiling glowed into being, filling the room with a bright white light that temporarily left scorch marks on the turian's vision. Heinrich, meanwhile, squinted while his eyes adjusted. He managed a look towards Kynarus and frowned for a moment, trying to figure out where he was. He had only come out of unconsciousness about ten minutes ago and Kynarus had spent this time watching the human, trying to figure him out. Would he be easy to break or not? He certainly didn't look as tough as the other Zahni Corporation goons, such as Dieter and definitely not as tough as that krogan Kynarus had had to kill the other day. Killing humans was a welcome relief after that brawl with the krogan.

"You," Heinrich coughed, remaining surprised despite the fact the memories of what happened in the Embassy bar were still fresh in his mind, "who are you? What do you want?"

_All these questions and yet I'm supposed to be asking him_, Kynarus thought while managing a slight smirk. He remained standing in the doorway, ignoring the voice in the back of his mind that was telling him to simply start beating the human senseless. That wouldn't achieve anything and would probably end with Heinrich's death than anything else. Unsurprisingly, dead people can't talk so right now Kynarus needed the human alive.

Kynarus simply examined the fingers of his left hand casually, scraping the grit from underneath one of his talons as he did so. He liked to keep them as clean as he could get them; this was a habit of his he had developed over the years. For a moment his mind wandered to Katherine, trying to figure out what she was doing back at the motel room. There probably wasn't much to do there and knowing her she had probably gone down to the bar to start drinking, something which Kynarus had no problem with since he done it more than her.

His mind wandered to the events of the previous "night", only feeling slightly guilty about them especially since it was so soon after what had happened with Yelina, the turian female he had met at Flux the other day. He didn't like to think about it, quite intent on the fact he had let his typical urges get the better of him with her.

_These Zahni guys had used Yelina to get to me_, he thought suddenly, _what if they used Katherine to get to me?_

It wasn't an unrealistic thought, Kynarus realizing that these Zahni goons would probably do whatever was necessary to apprehend him again. He wasn't too sure why they wanted him alive but he guessed it was just for Dieter's twisted pleasure, torturing a turian in any way he could think of. There was the possibility that maybe Dieter needed him for something, some part of the Corporation's complicated scheme to do with acquiring the package. Dieter, after all, had wanted to know how had hired Kynarus to get the package and why. It was obvious now that Colonel Sommers had been with Cerberus all along and was probably in the process of tracking him and Katherine down. The two of them were stuck in the middle of it all with nothing left to do but get deeper into this "mess" until they were right out of it. There was no way of escaping either organization, they would hunt the two of them down like animals. Now, here on the Citadel, was where Kynarus and Katherine to make some sort of stand.

Heinrich was watching him carefully, struggling against the ropes that bound him to the chair and swearing in some foreign language. Kynarus stood watching, his mind running into overtime as he figured out what he could possibly do to get this human talking. Asking the questions first seemed to come to mind, seeing if the human would talk without any pressure applied. If he didn't then it was time to start applying the "pressure" in any way possible. Kynarus thought he would just rely on his fists to begin with, containing enough anger and frustration in him to be able to beat up Heinrich when he felt like it.

Kynarus, finishing cleaning the small amounts of grit from the underside of his talons, casually walked into the room. Heinrich watched him with a hint of desperation in his eyes, struggling against the ropes that bound him until the chair he was sitting in began to move slightly. Kynarus stepped over and looked down at the struggling human with an indifferent expression, bringing a hand down onto the arms of the chair and the human's arms. This stopped the chair from moving and made Heinrich freeze in place, the human staring into the eyes of the turian and giving a look of despair.

"I don't know who you are, alright?" Heinrich said with a voice filled with anguish, "so, why don't you just let me go? I have nothing to tell you…"

Kynarus knew he was lying and found it surprising that Heinrich would be doing such a thing when he was at his complete mercy. Perhaps it was a human thing, lying to the face of the oppressor. Turians would usually own up what they knew, at least most would. Kynarus took a step back from the bound human and began pacing around the chair, finding it a little odd how Heinrich couldn't possibly know his name.

"Don't all you Corporation goons know who I am?" Kynarus asked, knowing that Dieter and the rest of his associates knew exactly who Kynarus was and what involvement he had in all of this.

Heinrich shook his head, watching as Kynarus paced slowly around the chair. He could see the anger in the turian's face and realized he was in a spot of trouble and so decided to try and talk his way out of it. Kynarus, on the other hand, wasn't going to give in to anything. The turian was intent on getting any information he could out of Heinrich, even if it took him all day and a heck of a lot of punches.

"I don't know who you are! I hardly have anything to do with the corporation!" Heinrich was struggling against the ropes again, occasionally glancing up at the turian with gritted teeth. He wasn't having any luck against these ropes.

Kynarus stopped, a little surprised as well as trying his hardest to concentrate. He was beginning to feel light-headed again but tried his best to ignore it, preferring to concentrate on interrogating Heinrich. He was surprised at the fact that Heinrich was claiming to not have anything to do with the corporation but he could easily be lying.

"You work for them, I know you do," Kynarus said, turning to face Heinrich and giving the turian equivalent of a frown.

Heinrich looked up at him, almost pleadingly. He pulled at the ropes but the chair moved instead of the ropes. He was certainly trying hard to escape but if he did Kynarus could easily subdue him again.

"I'm their contact on the Citadel, alright?" Heinrich admitted, shaking his head, "but I have hardly anything to do with them directly! I'm just their information man…"

"Information man? What do you mean?" Kynarus was curious to hear the full extent of what Heinrich had to say now that the human had begun talking. There was probably more to the whole situation than the human was letting on but Kynarus was sure the human would tell the full story…eventually.

"I get them the information they need. If it's in confidential files and records held by the Council I go and get it. I get paid for it and they get what they want: everyone's happy…" Heinrich was cut off when Kynarus leaned forwards and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, forcing the human to look up into the face of the angered turian.

"Then you better tell me all you know about the package," Kynarus said, watching with a hint of satisfaction as the human's face began to get slightly red. Heinrich had begun to struggle for air as Kynarus' grip at his neck tightened, the turian's talons cutting into the flesh and drawing some blood.

"The…the…pah-pah-package?" Heinrich struggled to form a sentence, Kynarus letting go so he could have an easier time of talking, "what package?"

Kynarus replied with a quick strike to the side of the human's face, knocking his head to one side and making Heinrich shout loudly. A cut had appeared on one cheek after the blow, the human looking back up towards Kynarus with some noticeable anger.

"Don't play dumb Heinrich," Kynarus said, thinking he was finally beginning to break the fairly weak Heinrich Walstedt, "you know the one. You're the man Dieter got the original information about it from."  
Heinrich briefly lost his anger, realizing the one the turian was referring to. Of course, this was one subject he couldn't talk about. He knew if he talked but was eventually rescued Dieter would end up killing him anyway. Heinrich knew he was a worthy member of the corporation but he also knew he could be replaced fairly easily.

"That package?" Heinrich looked surprised and this frustrated Kynarus even more. If Heinrich thought he could worm his way out of this then he was mistaken, Kynarus was far more intent on keeping the human at his mercy for as long as necessary.

"I got Dieter the information about it," Heinrich said, shaking his head as he spoke as if he didn't agree with what he was saying, "it was stored away in some hidden Alliance files. Very sensitive stuff, I must say…"

Kynarus didn't have time for the unnecessary details, feeling a surge of impatience followed by some anger. He hit Heinrich again, this time on the other side of the face and this time one of his talons cut through the human's skin. It left a fairly large gash on his right cheek, blood oozing out at a gradual pace. Heinrich shot Kynarus and angered but mostly desperate glare, swearing loudly.

"Shit! Damn it! Why…why do you have to hit me?" Heinrich shook his head, trying to shake off the pain he was in before he looked back up at Kynarus, "Is there something wrong with you?"

Kynarus thought about this for a moment. He knew there were plenty of things wrong with him and right now it seemed this feeling of light-headedness and dizziness wasn't about to go away anytime soon. Kynarus swayed where he stood, trying to steady his vision as Heinrich watched.

"I have money! I'm sure you like money!" Heinrich exclaimed, seeing the uncertainty in the turian's movements. "I have plenty of it! I can give you three hundred thousand if you just…_leave_ me alone…"

Kynarus managed to focus on Heinrich, ignoring the human's potential bribes. No amount of money could get him and Katherine out of this mess, unless it was enough to bribe both the Corporation and Cerberus. He doubted that was possible and so discounted the human's offers, instead looking down at Heinrich's pleading and desperate face.

"I'm in this too deep," Kynarus said in a quiet tone, "money can't save me." He paused for emphasis, realizing how true his words were. "So how about you just shut up with your offers and answer my questions?"

Heinrich looked a little bewildered at the response but quickly fell silent, trying to figure the turian out. He was probably looking for something he could exploit and noticed the way Kynarus was having trouble keeping his eyes trained on his prisoner as well as the swaying in his posture.

"You don't look so good…" Heinrich said.

Kynarus ignored him and instead went to press a previous point back on the human. He was feeling rather strange, a slight euphoria flowing through him briefly and making him lighten his mood a little. He felt good all of a sudden but it was a strange feeling of good. He realized it was probably the powder he had snorted earlier helping to cloud his mind and his senses. Maybe he shouldn't have had some before he went to capture Heinrich since now it was really beginning to affect him.

"I'm fine," Kynarus lied, realizing he was talking to someone he really should be interrogating, "so how about you just tell me what's so special about the package? Then maybe I'll let you go…"  
Heinrich shook his head, adamant that he didn't need to tell the turian what he wanted to know. He seemed a little annoyed at himself for refusing but was probably thinking there was still a chance he could be saved.

_Not a chance in Hell_, Kynarus thought.

"No…I can't tell you! You have to understand, okay? It's very sensitive information…the corporation is only trying to save humanity from the destruction to come…"

This last sentence caught Kynarus a little off-guard. Destruction to come? Save humanity? What the hell was Heinrich going on about? Kynarus was suddenly a lot more interested in what Heinrich had to say, curious to see where this conversation would lead.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kynarus asked, "You're beginning to lose me…"  
Heinrich fell silent, knowing he had said something he shouldn't have. Kynarus leaned forwards and brought his head closer to Heinrich's, looking into the human's eyes in an attempt to intimidate him.

"You're going to tell me what I want to know," Kynarus said in a low voice, "otherwise I'll break your fingers. One at a time…"

Kynarus wasn't in much of a mood to play around, either it was because of the drugs or because he had come to associate the Zahni Corporation with people's lives getting ruined. So far they had ruined his and Katherine's life and probably a load of others with their nefarious schemes and so forth. It was time they were "put down" and preferably in a fashion reminiscent of one shooting a crazed animal.

Kynarus grabbed Heinrich's right hand, holding the human's smallest finger so it was pointing up and was in a position so that anymore force would break it. Heinrich only looked on with increasing worry as Kynarus slowly started adding pressuring onto the finger, beginning to press it up and backwards as the seconds went by.

Kynarus was a mercenary and he knew how to get people to cooperate, whether it meant using force or just being friendly. He had used up all his patience with Heinrich and so knew a little bit of lasting pain would make sure Heinrich never forgot the conversation. The turian had few qualms about making himself out to be some sort of sadistic monster, many people actually though of him as one. It all came with the job and was needed in this type of increasingly complicated situation more than ever.

Heinrich's face began to show the pain he was in, the finger only seconds from breaking as Kynarus began to add pressure. He looked like he was about to give in, his eyes betraying the tough expression he was trying to form by showing that he was in fact quite scared.

Of course, Kynarus didn't pride himself on being a sadistic monster. He remembered all the bad things he had done in the past and all the things he regretted the most (and there were many). He let go of Heinrich's pinkie finger and saw as the human's face was overcome with relief.

"I knew you would see reason…" Heinrich began to say but Kynarus silenced him with an intimidating glare. Heinrich quickly fell silent, getting the point Kynarus was trying to communicate.

"Why don't you just talk, that way you'll save yourself and me a lot of trouble?" Kynarus said, standing up. Heinrich only eyed him cautiously; still angry at the way he was treating him and still not going to talk. Kynarus realized he may actually have to put a little more pressure on the human and so prepared to hit him again. Heinrich only shut his eyes, bracing for the seemingly inevitable blow which didn't end up coming. Instead, a familiar sounding voice, one Kynarus hadn't heard for years, sounded from behind him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the voice said. It sounded distinctly turian, one that roused memories in Kynarus of his time serving at the military base on Hallian. He saw that Heinrich had opened his eyes and was trying to look around Kynarus at the interloper, probably hoping it was someone who was here to rescue him.

Kynarus slowly turned around and found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol. Holding it was a familiar looking turian, one that Kynarus hadn't been expecting to see after all this time. However, there was something dreadfully wrong with this turian and it would take Kynarus a moment or two to figure out what.

"Rellin?" Kynarus couldn't help but keep the surprise out of his voice, trying hard to figure out whether or not the powder he had snorted was making him see things. He swayed unsteadily on his feet, the other turian noticing this and stepping forwards. He pressed the pistol against Kynarus' chest, a finger close t the trigger.

Rellin Kia'Shan was the Sergeant Major that Kynarus had served with back on Hallian seven years ago. They hadn't really had much to do with one another although Rellin had gotten to know Kynarus' somewhat blunt and annoying casual demeanour. That would explain the anonymous caller's cryptic comment…

"_You were always the blunt type, Vakarian…"_

"You called me?" Kynarus couldn't believe this. For one thing, he had thought Rellin had been killed with the rest of the soldiers at the military base after the whole place had been destroyed.

"Funny seeing me here, isn't it?" Rellin said, the turian equivalent of a smile forming on his face, "you were probably safe in thinking I was dead. Far from it, in fact…"

Kynarus squinted in the bright light, trying to figure out what was wrong with the picture he was seeing. It took him a moment to realize half of the turian's face had been replaced with a mix of flesh and steel, the eye on that half replaced with some sort of blue glowing artificial replacement. The same went for his right arm and probably the rest of that half of his body.

_What the hell? Am I seeing things?_

"Why don't you just shoot him already?!" Heinrich shouted from behind them, "Because if you don't, I will!"

Kynarus and Rellin ignored the human and simply stood facing each other. Rellin's half synthetic face was still smiling and the smile was all the more menacing with the synthetics in place of the flesh.

"I thought you were dead…you would have been killed when the base was destroyed…" Kynarus was finding it increasingly hard to think straight now that he was faced with the resurrected version of a former friend and was finding it hard to form sentences. Maybe it was the drugs or maybe it was just because he was so damn shocked…

Rellin kept the pistol held tightly and pressed into Kynarus' chest, ready t fire at a moment's notice. He didn't seem at all put off by Kynarus' questions and had probably been expecting them, prepared to answer with whatever truth suited him.

"You have to understand Kynarus, there was more to that attack that day then just human terrorists," Rellin said, his artificial eye seeming to burn right into Kynarus' very soul, "the laboratory complex that was destroyed? That was where some humans had been researching a certain item…Unfortunately for them, Cerberus was also very interested in the item but when they finally arrived it seemed that this 'item' had been moved off-world.

"I'm sure you know what item I'm referring to?" Rellin took on a slight mocking tone, his voice tinged with something metallic and artificial sounding. Kynarus realized the very item that his old friend was referring to and for a moment Kynarus simply froze.

The package had been the very thing that had made those humans come to Hallian in the first place…That meant that if it wasn't for the mysterious package then Lalias could have lived and Kynarus wouldn't have become a mercenary…That also meant the humans that had attacked had been Cerberus which meant that Cerberus was more or less responsible for screwing up Kynarus' life entirely…

It took the young turian a moment to realize what all of this meant. All these years he had lived thinking that the attack had been a mere meaningless terrorist attack but in fact it had been much more, if Rellin was telling the truth. Kynarus felt rage flow through him when he realized it did all make sense, realizing that Cerberus was the very organization that had destroyed his life.

"You're lying," Kynarus said but already he knew the answer. Rellin simply chuckled but it was a menacing chuckle, one that didn't sound turian at all. It was enough for Kynarus' blood to run cold.

"I have no reason to lie to you," Rellin said, "just look at me and you'll see why I don't need to lie. The base was destroyed because Cerberus had wanted to prove a point so they had the Captain killed and the whole base rigged with explosives. One of them went off right next to me and left me disfigured, a cripple even. At least until Dieter had found me…"

Kynarus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only had Cerberus had a hand in ruining his life but it seemed Dieter and his Corporation goons had had a similar impact. The more time that passed, it seemed, the more complicated this whole situation got.

"They had arrived a day late, it seemed," Rellin continued, "they found me and naturally they helped me. Now I'm the recipient of some of the most advanced technology in the galaxy, all developed by the Corporation. A hybrid of flesh and steel but with the weaknesses of neither…And I want revenge on Cerberus just as much as you probably do…"  
Kynarus shook his head, a little dazed from all the information he was meant to be taking in. This was beginning to get too much and with the added effect of the powder he had snorted earlier Kynarus had begun to feel a little faint…

"Damn it! Just shoot the fucking asshole so we can get out of here!" Heinrich was angry now and was sick of being forced to listen to the scene play out, still tied to the chair and still hurting from the blows he had received. Rellin shot him a nasty look and Heinrich fell silent.

"Dieter has found a very imaginative use for you, Kynarus," Rellin said, "one that will probably be a good use of your skills. That's why I called you to go and get Heinrich since he had a tracking device on him…I'm sure you weren't expecting that, were you?"

Kynarus shook his head. No, he hadn't been expecting it. He glanced at Heinrich and saw the human struggling against the ropes that held him, looking a little bewildered when he heard about the tracking device.

"Heinrich doesn't know about it himself," Rellin said, "we thought it would be better if he was kept in the dark about it." He paused, looking towards Kynarus and smiling when he saw the effect he was having on the younger turian. Kynarus seemed a little dazed and unsteady, definitely not at his peak as he had been during his few years of full-time military service.

"This is bullshit!" Heinrich suddenly shouted angrily, "I was all part of the plan? All this trouble just to get this turian asshole?"

Rellin ignored him and lowered the pistol casually. He reached into a compartment in the suit of black armour he was wearing, retrieving an injector gun loaded with a small vial filled with a clear liquid.

"How could you want to work for Dieter?" Kynarus managed to ask but he could already tell there was something not quite right with the mind of his old friend. Rellin only shrugged before continuing.

"The Corporation needs you, Kynarus," Rellin said, sounding a little fanatical. Kynarus figured that Dieter had gone to some lengths to get Rellin completely loyal to him which may explain the odd demeanour his old friend had. Right now though, Kynarus was finding it hard to stand up straight and was easily grabbed by Rellin's strong synthetic arm. There was only a brief stinging sensation as the syringe broke through Kynarus' scales at his neck and into the flesh beneath.

"You'll be willing to work for us soon enough," Rellin said, letting the younger turian go. Kynarus swayed a little on the spot before falling into a heap on the floor, his vision fading as he watched Rellin step over and look down at him with what looked to be some pity. Of course, Kynarus had other ideas about what he would be doing and none of them included working for Dieter. He would prefer to die first then go as low as Rellin had and work for the crazy human.

"Sweet dreams, Vakarian," Rellin said, Kynarus losing consciousness seconds later.


	20. Ultimatum

**Location: **On board Dieter Sturlmann's private frigate, _Shoulder of Orion_

There was the faint feeling of movement but it was close to nothing. The whole environment around him shook slightly before calming down, this turbulence lasting only a few seconds. It was enough to bring Kynarus Vakarian out of unconsciousness, the turian awaking to find himself lying on a single bed stomach down and looking towards the wall to the bed's left.

Immediately Kynarus' mind went into overtime, the turian finding that he had a slight headache and that a small part of his neck was stinging. His vision was unfocussed and he remained lying on the bed while he tried to concentrate on a single spot on the metallic-plastic hybrid wall. When he finally regained his senses he slowly rolled onto his back, staring up at a blue-grey ceiling and trying to figure out just where he was.

Kynarus' mind was somewhat muddled while he tried to sift through all the recent memories through a drug induced haze. He had been captured; he could tell as much but how and why was currently in a mass of confused flashes of memory. He lay where he was for about five minutes, attempting to piece it back together seeing as there wasn't much of a hurry.

Firstly, he had left Katherine along at the motel. She hadn't liked that but Kynarus could not have passed up the opportunity provided to him by an anonymous call. He had been tipped off to the location of Heinrich Walstedt, the very man Dieter Sturlmann had gone to the Citadel to find. There had been a very high chance that the whole thing was a trap and it must have been since Kynarus was somewhere he knew he shouldn't be.

He then remembered finding Heinrich: he had found him at the Embassy bar as the anonymous caller had told him and thus had taken Heinrich to someone a little more private so they could have a "talk". That "talk" had more or less been an interrogation, Kynarus trying to get the truth about the mysterious package out f Heinrich Walstedt but being unable because of an unforseen interruption…

That was when it all came flooding back to Kynarus. He sat up, swearing loudly in turian while looking around the small room. He appeared to be in some sort of rudimentary living quarter, with minimal amounts of furniture and a very bland appearance. There was the bed which he was sitting on as well as a desk and chair in one corner, both items of furniture bolted onto the floor. There was also a small alcove in one wall which was partially closed off by a curtain, a shower cubicle and toilet being behind it. Wherever he was it had all the basic comforts of a low-grade motel room.

_I shouldn't be here,_ he thought. He could now remember the result of his "talk" with Heinrich and why it hadn't worked out in the end.

He had been in the middle of talking to Heinrich when he had been interrupted by someone he had thought had died seven years ago, back on Hallian. Of course, this someone was obviously still alive if he had ended up encountering him. It was hard to digest all the new information but as the minutes passed more and more details about what had happened began flooding back into his mind.

The interloper had been Rellin Kia'Shan, a sort of friend of his from the time he had served at the military base on Hallian seven standard years ago. Rellin back then had been a somewhat authoritative by-the-book soldier type and had acted as a sort of aide to the corrupt Captain Jakalas. Now Rellin was a turian consisting of flesh and synthetics, crippled and disfigured when the base was destroyed by several high powered and hidden explosives. Rellin had told Kynarus about how Dieter had found him a day later and had "helped" him by taking him in and fixing him up with synthetic body parts. Rellin's personality had changed to one of a fanatical loyalty to the Corporation, something which Dieter had probably added as an afterthought. It was obvious some amount of control was exerted over Rellin through the synthetic parts of his body and that control was probably from Dieter.

_He's not like he used to be_, Kynarus thought when his mind wandered to the "new" Rellin Kia'Shan. He couldn't quite believe that Dieter and his Corporation had access to such technology but maybe there was more to the Corporation than originally thought. There was more to this whole situation than originally implied, especially since now because Kynarus was now a captive of Dieter. Rellin had injected him with something while he had been a little dazed from the powder he had snorted earlier, as well as dazed from all the things Rellin had told him.

It had been Cerberus and not simple human terrorists that had attacked Hallian that day and destroyed the military base. It had been Cerberus soldiers that had killed Lalias so that she ended up dying right in front of Kynarus, barely able to speak as her own blood welled up in her mouth. Kynarus could see the slight irony of ending up hired by Colonel Sommers, a human working for the black ops organization. Kynarus had almost finished the job until he had been caught up with all this mess with Dieter, the Corporation and Cerberus. He had been working for the very people that had killed Lalias and thus stuffed up his life.

_It wasn't their fault_, he thought, realizing he was simply trying to make himself better by pinning the blame on Cerberus, _you have no one else to blame but yourself. It's your own fault for ending up a mercenary, it's your own fault for becoming an alcoholic, it's your own fault for getting addicted to drugs…_

Kynarus angrily slammed a clenched fist onto the bed, standing up and moving towards the desk. There was a single computer on it, switched on so that it displayed a blue screen saver. Kynarus simply knocked down the projector that was displaying the holographic screen, the screen itself disappearing as he picked up the narrow projector and threw it across the room. It had the far wall with a loud _smash_, its many pieces falling onto the floor and sparking a little as they did so.

Kynarus looked for something else to break, angry at himself and at the universe in general. His life was a shambles; he had known that for so long but had refused to directly admit it. Now that he finally had he felt angry and that anger, it seemed, could only be satisfied by breaking things. Unfortunately for him this urge would remain unsatisfied for some time seeing as the room itself was mostly devoid of items. The little amounts of furniture there was were all bolted down to the floor, perhaps an extra precaution by his captors so that he couldn't use the furniture against them as a weapon.

What of Katherine? Thoughts about her suddenly found their way into his mind, reminding him of how he had left her alone at the motel. It seemed a bit silly having done such a thing when he thought back on it, realizing he would have preferred to spend more time with her, especially after they had fulfilled their relationship the night before.

Kynarus realized he was being watched, noticing the small silver camera hanging over the far corner of the room from the ceiling. He looked directly towards it, making sure the rage he felt showed through his features.

"If Katherine's hurt you're going to all pay!" He shouted. If they had hurt her in any way then he would make sure each of his captors payed for it. By paying for it he was thinking along the lines of killing all of them, including Dieter. Of course, being stuck in this room wouldn't help him achieve this.

He stepped towards the door, noticing that it remained shut no matter how close he was to it. The panel on the wall by the door was glowing red, the words PASSWORD REQUIRED TO UNLOCK displayed across it. Kynarus slammed a hand against the panel, swearing in his native tongue as he realized the hopelessness of his situation. He was surprised he wasn't tied up and had instead been locked in here but he was guessing that there were plenty of guards outside and that any sort of escape attempt could be easily thwarted. He was being watched after all, the camera at the ceiling proved this. Being tied up was obviously not needed so they had simply let him roam free in this room while they planned what to do with him.

He remembered Rellin's words about Dieter having found a "creative way" to use him. Kynarus couldn't think of any "creative way" Dieter might want to use him for but then again he had no idea what Dieter could possibly be planning. Whatever it was he doubted it was a good thing.

There was a small window at one side of the room, something which got the young turian's attention. Stepping towards it he briefly admired the view of the warped and continuously shifting lights that space provided during faster than light travel. He was definitely on a ship of some sort and it was probably well away from the Citadel by now. Maybe Katherine was on board somewhere, there was no way of knowing…

Kynarus stepped away from the slightly disorienting view of warped space and returned his gaze to the small set of living quarters before him. His captors had gone to some lengths to ensure there was nothing inside that he could use against him, the room having been reduced to its bare minimum of necessary items. Looking down at himself Kynarus saw he was still in his casual outfit, the one he had been wearing when Rellin had subdued him. The pistol he had been wearing at his waist was gone, along with the holster that went with it. He checked his pockets, finding that all had been emptied of their insignificant contents. He hadn't been carrying much in them anyway, save for some tissues and his only electronic card containing the only credits he had.

_They better give that back,_ he thought. They probably wouldn't though; big corporations like theirs would snatch up any opportunity they got to get extra money. A thousand or so credits may not be much but it would be enough to pay one of their low level workers for a week.

Kynarus entered the small bathroom, checking it for items and finding that there was no camera inside. There were no loose items for him to grab though save for a bottle of human-made shampoo which he had no use for considering turians such as him had no hair. Still, he did pocket the small tube just in case he ever needed something to temporarily blind his opponents. It was an amusing thought, fighting off Zahni Corporation goons with a tube of shampoo but if all else failed and he had a chance to escape then he may very well end up using it.

Stepping over to the toilet he took this chance to empty his bladder, knowing that once Dieter found out he was awake he would probably come in and start interrogating him. Any chance to empty his bladder in a toilet and not in his trousers was a chance better taken.

Kynarus zipped up his pants and flushed the toilet, heading back out into the quarters. The ship, from what he could tell, was definitely human made judging by the way the interiors were designed. Humans always seemed to have a thing for bland interiors, putting real effort into the more important parts of their ships like the bridge and engineering section.

Kynarus, with nothing left to do but wait, sat down on the bed and began doing his usual methods of killing time. Getting so deep into his own thoughts was one of them and was an easy enough method of passing the hours until something more interesting happened.

So far Kynarus had been hired by a Cerberus big-wig, met a fiery human woman he had ended up having sex with, been shot at plenty of times by Zahni Corporation goons, gotten chased through the streets of an insignificant human settlement, as has having taken drugs and attempted to interrogate Heinrich Walstedt. Now here he was, captured and at the mercy of his captors. He had a good idea of who would be walking through that door soon enough, probably to explain why he was here and just what "creative way" Dieter had come up with to use the young turian.

As well as all of this he had found out that Cerberus had had a much larger role in ruining his life, if Rellin's words were to be believed. Of course, it was hard to tell if a half-synthetic turian whose face had been replaced with smooth metal that was melded to the flesh was lying or not. Kynarus would make sure to make Cerberus pay for what they had done regardless; they seemed to deserve it if all Kynarus was hearing about them was true.

Kynarus remained sitting before he finally realized it would be some time before someone actually came in to talk to him. He moved so that he was properly on the bed, lying down and trying his best not to think about how much his life was ruined. He may have Katherine but even she was in danger and he didn't want to lose her, especially when he himself was in such a sorry state. If he lost her he wouldn't know what to do, except kill whoever was responsible for her death if such an act was necessary.

One thing that came into the young turian's mind was the fact he felt a craving for some more of that red sand he had tried during the short time he had spent with the female turian, Yelina, back on the Citadel. Whatever it was it made him feel great, better then the second-rate stuff he had later bought off of Lawrence. He really needed some and if he didn't get any soon he had a feeling he might just lose his mind.

_I'm addicted to something…again…_

Casually he raised one hand in front of his face and checked the talons there for any sort of dirt that might have stuck to them. Scraping the small trace amounts away he went to work on the other hand, doing the same and making sure all of his talons were in a reasonable state. Kynarus made sure to take good care of his talons, making sure they weren't too short or too long as well as making sure they were clean and sharp…just in case.

He spent another ten minutes lying on the bed, beginning to hum a familiar tune quietly to himself while he did so. His captors were certainly taking their time and for a moment he thought that maybe none of them were watching the camera. Or maybe they were and were simply taking their time to organize something. Whatever the reason was, Kynarus was stuck in the company of himself for a fair while. He decided that if they were going to take their time so would he, heading into the bathroom and getting undressed before activating a flow of warm water from the shower inside.

The water was welcome refreshment as it sprayed over him, the young turian being sure to scrub down every inch of his body. This was more because he wanted to extend the time he spent in the shower, that way he would spend less time waiting out in the living quarters. It was only halfway through all of this that he realized he had no towel, swearing quietly when he realized he'd remain dripping wet for some time to come.

Finishing up he switched off the flow of water and stepped out of the cubicle, almost jumping back in surprise when he saw the figure standing out in the quarters. Funnily enough the figure had its back turned, full aware of the position Kynarus was in and kind enough to respect the young turian's privacy.

Kynarus went to close the curtain that separated the living quarters and the bathroom, hearing a familiar voice as he looked towards the figure. He instantly recognized the dark long-coat and matching pants and hat.

"I left a towel on the rack by the sink," the voice said, the figure keeping its back turned, "just don't try and strangle me with it."

Dieter laughed loudly as Kynarus pulled the curtain across the doorway, grabbing the large blue towel from the rack by the sink and quickly drying himself down. A few minutes later he emerged fully clothed and holding the towel, feeling only a little refreshed and a bit chilly in the cool air of the ship. He looked at the towel he held in his right hand and then towards Dieter, who sensed Kynarus' emergence from the bathroom and turned around.

"I would like that towel back, thank you," Dieter said. Kynarus noticed that Dieter must have been inside the room for most of his shower, having taken the time to pick up the pieces of the broken computer screen projector and pack them neatly away into a small plastic bag he had left by the door. Dieter was looking at the young turian, patiently waiting for a response. He had his right hand held out, expecting the towel to be handed to him.

Kynarus simply threw the folded up towel towards the human, Dieter snatching it out of the air rather than catching it. He folded it back up and tucked it under one arm as Kynarus approached. The young turian could see that Dieter had his usual old-fashioned pistol in a holster at his waist but as well as this the human had a small stun gun holstered at the other side of his waist.

"I'm afraid we can't take any chances with you, Kynarus," Dieter said with a slight frown, "you've proven yourself to be very resourceful. You're the type of person, or turian, who can get themselves out of almost any situation. That's why you're alive and here now, something which Heinrich Walstedt doesn't really appreciate. He would prefer to see you dead after what you put him through but of course he doesn't know of what I have planned. And those plans feature you as a predominant part of them."  
Kynarus could tell Dieter was in his usual friendly, business-like demeanour but he knew that looks were deceiving. Dieter was probably the lethal type of person who could kill someone without so much as batting an eyelid and probably wouldn't hesitate to put down Kynarus if he became unruly. Thus, the young turian decided to play it safe and humour Dieter as well as listen to what he had to say. Of course, he didn't have to like what the human said and kept this in mind.

"To keep things civil I've taken the liberty of having most of the loose items removed from your accommodation," Dieter said, gesturing to the room around him with one arm, "you're probably already planning something but let me tell you now, you can't escape. This is my ship you're on and that means you're under my rules, do you understand?"

Kynarus didn't answer. In reality, he had no idea how he would be getting out of this one and was more intent on finding out whether Katherine was alright or not. If she wasn't then he might very well try and escape, especially if it meant that he would find her.

"Do you understand?" Dieter pressed his point further, his voice taking on a sterner tone. Kynarus only nodded in response, able to feel the tube of shampoo in his right pocket while his mind went thinking of ways to use it to his advantage.

"Good to see you understand, Kynarus," Dieter said, his voice losing the sterner tone and returning to its usual friendly sounding manner, "So, with that settled, I guess we can get down to business. I'm sure you have many questions and I'll be willing to answer them if they don't directly touch on any sensitive issues. So, Kynarus, fire away."

There was a brief silence after Dieter spoke, Kynarus trying to think of something sensible to ask. For one thing, he wanted to know where Katherine was and this was naturally the first thing he asked.

"Where's Katherine?" Kynarus asked, noticing immediately the slight uncertainty that crossed the human's face, "what have you done to her?" The young turian couldn't keep the anger out of his voice and Dieter took note of this, managing a slight smile as he replied.

"She's doing fine, Kynarus," Dieter said, "I didn't think you would be so worried about her. You are, after all, a turian…" He trailed off for effect, seeing the embarrassed look Kynarus gave. He nodded, more to himself than anyone else as he realized he had been right.

"Ah, I see I was correct when I assumed there was more between the two of you then just a friendship," Dieter said, "it's strange, really. I never thought turians and humans could really have such a relationship but it seemed I was wrong. Now that this fact's been clarified maybe you'll be more willing to help us, seeing as we have her as much as we have you."  
Kynarus couldn't help but feel some anger at the way Dieter was saying this. He seemed so confident in himself and what he was doing, as if he believed he was the type of person who never made a mistake. Perhaps it was just the way Dieter was, always confident in himself and always being thorough. It made more sense now that he had captured Katherine as well as Kynarus since one could be used as a bargaining tool for whatever scheme Dieter had cooked up.

"Where is she?" Kynarus asked, already with a strong feeling that she was probably on board this very ship. Dieter shrugged innocently, shaking his head.

"If I told you that then you might try and rescue her," Dieter said, "and the one thing we don't need is a crazed turian like you running around my ship on a rampage…"  
"So she's on this ship?"

Dieter didn't reply but the lack of a response was clear enough. Katherine was somewhere on this ship and was probably in the same sort of room as Kynarus was. This was another thing the young turian was curious about, finding these accommodations quite different to the last time he had been in the clutches of Dieter and his goons.

"She is, isn't she?" Kynarus asked. Dieter only shrugged, not really answering the question directly.

"Anything else you want to know about, Kynarus?" Dieter asked, not at all bothered by the fact he had more or less answered Kynarus' questions about Katherine by his lack of response, "or should I start telling you about what I have planned for you?"

"Tell me why you want me alive and why you've locked me in these quarters," Kynarus demanded, his voice taking on a slightly more inquisitive tone, "you seemed to want me to be in as much discomfort as possible the last time you captured me."  
Dieter thought about this for a moment, replying in his usual calm and friendly manner. This was something that was beginning to get on Kynarus' nerves but he realized he could do little about it other than to put up with it. The human's sheer calmness and friendliness seemed a little odd though.

"Look around you, Kynarus," Dieter said, "I like to provide good hospitality to my guests. You are a guest upon my ship and I treat my guests like normal people. It's just that with you you're probably bound to try and escape so we have to limit your options somewhat, thus leaving you with a rather bland room…" He frowned, looking around the room quickly and seeming to find the bland interior somewhat tasteless.

Kynarus realized he could be on the very same ship that was back at the spaceport on Talerian, where he had first tried to get hold of Dieter and extract information out of him. That had been before Cerberus had raided the place and stuffed everybody up, Kynarus being forced to make an escape into the streets of Deckar's Stand.

"This is my personal frigate you're currently on," Dieter continued, "I named it the _Shoulder of Orion_ once it was built. It is state of the art, fitted with all the latest technology as well as a few prototype weapons. You should feel privileged seeing as very few turians find their way onto my ship, save for Rellin…"  
Kynarus was curious about Rellin as well and since Dieter seemed so willing to answer his questions he decided to ask about him. Rellin, after all, had once been a friend or, at the very least, someone Kynarus could rely on. They hadn't been best friends but they had known each other enough to be close to friends.

"Tell me more about Rellin," Kynarus said, "he seems especially different from the last time I saw him, seven years ago. Are you brainwashing him through the synthetic replacement parts you fitted him with?"

Dieter seemed a little put off-guard by the question but quickly composed himself, speaking in his usual calm and casual voice.

"Rellin Kia'Shan had been left a disfigured cripple when we found him in the wreckage of the military base," Dieter said, Kynarus able to tell he was thinking back on these past events since his eyes seemed to be looking off into the distance, "one of the explosives planted by Cerberus had gone off right next to him, blowing off his right arm and right leg. That whole side of his body was disfigured by the intense heat of the explosion and he was in agony when we found him.

"Of course, I don't like seeing anyone, not even a turian, writhing about and screaming in pain so I took it upon myself to help him. We had the technology so we sort of rebuilt him, replacing whatever was missing from him. He's now one of our best examples of synthetic technology and that's why most of our forces consist of synthetics. Real, normal and organic soldiers are a dying breed. Soon all the armies in existence will want our technology because unlike the quarians and the geth they created, our technology is far easier to control. It's a basis of programming the simplest drones with only enough intelligence so that it can outdo any ordinary man in a fight but can't really think for itself. We, of course, control all of them and thus we can keep all of our soldier drones in check.

"The ultimate goal is, much in Rellin's example, to create a super soldier part organic and part synthetic. That way they can have the strengths of both but the weaknesses of neither. Rellin Kia'Shan is the first example of this idea being brought into reality. He is, of course, not a super soldier but I'm sure we can figure something out for him…"  
Kynarus stood listening to all that Dieter said, finding that what the human was saying did make some sense. An expendable and easily replaced army of synthetic drones would soon phase out normal all-organic and old fashioned armies of soldiers. However, this all sounded a bit like the quarians and how they had created the geth centuries ago, creating a race of synthetics working from a networked artificial intelligence. They in turn went out of control and drove the quarians from their home-world, forcing the species into exile but not before killing much of the species' population.

Dieter seemed to be doing the same sort of thing except this time it was the human version. They were trying to create a race of synthetic and easily controlled drones that would replace their human forces and so far they seemed to be succeeding. Maybe they would end up going out of control, it was hard to tell but it was certainly a possibility.

"Aren't you afraid that they may go out of your control?" Kynarus asked. This question didn't seem to really concern Dieter, the human quite confident in what his organization was trying to achieve.

"We're going to make sure they don't," Dieter said, "and we can learn from the mistakes of the quarians. They created the geth and now looked what happened to them! They got a bit too confident, a bit too reliant and so the geth got smarter and now the quarian race is in a near permanent exile. Of course, I'm going to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to humanity."

Kynarus could tell Dieter deeply believed in what he was saying, remaining adamant in his beliefs that the humans wouldn't end up like the quarians. Of course, if anything did happen then all the Council races would attempt to quell the synthetic rebellion and the human race would lose a lit of the trust gained over the years it had been part of the galactic community.

"So, before I keep away from why I'm here for any longer," Dieter said, frowning when he realized how much time had passed since the start of the conversation, "I think you should ask me one more thing before I get started on why I'm here and why I arranged for you to be brought here. So hurry up and fire away."

Kynarus knew exactly what he was going to ask the human but he doubted he would get much of an answer.

"What's in the package, Dieter?"

Dieter immediately lost the smile he had and frowned again, looking deadly serious for a change. The question had been one he had been expecting but when it finally came time to answer he really had no clue what to say. Kynarus knew he wouldn't tell him much and if he did it would be because of sheer luck more than anything else.

"The one thing that will ensure humanity's survival," Dieter answered simply, leaving Kynarus a little bewildered, "inside the container labelled 'BMH-0018' is something very old and very, very special. I'm afraid I can't really tell you what exactly…"  
Kynarus rolled his eyes. Of course Dieter couldn't tell him, no one seemed to want to say anything about it. It all seemed to be a big secret, only ever hinted at but never specified. Whatever it was it certainly sounded important from the way Dieter was saying it "will ensure humanity's survival".

_Dieter's just nuts, that's all,_ Kynarus thought to himself, _I wouldn't be surprised if there was nothing particularly interesting inside the package._

"It will make sure humanity survives through the destruction to come," Dieter said, his eyes containing a darker fire than before. He definitely looked crazy, almost as if the mention of the package stirred up some well hidden memories from within his mind. Kynarus didn't know what to think of the human's reaction and decided to change the subject. After all, the way it was beginning to sound it seemed plenty of people were making a bigger deal of this package than they should be.

"Why have you brought me aboard your ship, anyway?" Kynarus asked, gesturing towards the room's window, "and where the hell are we going? I still have some loose ends to tie up on the Citadel…"

Dieter returned to his usual calm and friendly demeanour, the menace in him only just hidden. If someone saw him and barely knew him they may think there was something sinister about him and there definitely was so their feelings wouldn't be wrong.

"Like I said, you're very resourceful. You've already killed a bunch of our synthetic soldiers, a few of our best officers and the loyal krogan. You would probably do better than most of my men in a combat situation and thus I have decided you would do well to work with us on the next part of the operation," Dieter explained, "and to answer the second part of your question we are heading for the Sol system, humanity's home system. To be more precise we will be going to Mars, fourth planet from the sun and the planet where humanity first found Prothean technology."

Kynarus was more concerned about the part about working with "us", which struck him as a surprise. Did Dieter seriously think he would work for him? He must have been mad since he certainly wasn't already far from it. Maybe he really did think highly of Kynarus, seeing that the turian had made it this far without getting killed.

Kynarus thought about the planet, Mars, only briefly. He had only vaguely heard of it but he did know it was a typical barren planet which was close to the human home-world of Earth. It had been on Mars that the humans had first found Prothean technology and thus they had gone on to spread throughout known space.

"I'm not working for you," Kynarus said bluntly. Dieter only shrugged in response, reaching into a pocket in his jacket and retrieving a small holograph which he threw towards Kynarus. The turian caught it and looked down at the picture, feeling anger surge through him when he saw what the picture was of.

It was Katherine and she looked unconscious. She had one arm bloodied and in a sling while the other was tied to a pole. She had a few cuts and bruises from what Kynarus could tell but she looked alive enough, although when her eyes were closed it was hard to tell whether she was dead or alive.

Kynarus felt his heart skip a beat when he saw this. He knew exactly what Dieter was doing: he was using his love for Katherine as a tool to get him to work for him. It was going to work, no doubt about that, but Kynarus didn't have to like it. He clenched one hand into a fist and handed the holograph back to Dieter with his other hand, taking deep breaths as he did so in order to calm himself down.

"You bastard," Kynarus said, "you're using her against me. Why?"

Dieter only shrugged innocently, something which annoyed Kynarus even further. He seemed almost carefree, probably not at all worried about Katherine and what Kynarus would do if he ever got free. He knew he had the two of them at his mercy and he knew that Kynarus could not afford to gamble with Katherine's life. The young turian was in love with the young human female, it was easy to tell.

"Why, you ask? Because it's the only way I know you'll accept," Dieter said happily, "besides, I don't want to kill you. It would be such a waste of a good soldier. You've proven yourself to be the type of hired gun no self-respecting organization can be without."  
Kynarus shook his head, trying to clear himself of the anger he felt. He knew that he would end up giving in, one way or another, just so Katherine would live or at the very least be out of harm's way.

"Just so you know, Katherine is in very good care," Dieter said, "unlike many other leaders, I know how to control my soldiers. So she will be fine. You, on the other hand have a choice: work for me or Katherine will die." He put it forth bluntly and abruptly, Kynarus almost reeling from the forcefulness of the offer. It wasn't much of an offer; in fact it seemed to be more of an ultimatum.

"I have no qualms about killing a pretty young lady," Dieter said, "but it's your call, Kynarus, not mine. So, what do you say?"

Kynarus swallowed his pride but thought it would be interesting to see what would happen if he refused.

"Go to Hell," Kynarus said.

It took a moment for these words to register in Dieter's mind. When they did Dieter had pulled out the stun gun, his face creased with annoyance as he fired. The small metallic bolt stuck itself in Kynarus' right pectoral and immediately began sending surges of electricity through him. The young turian shouted, his muscles tensing and contracting as pain shot through him. He collapsed into a heap on the floor, grunting in agony as the shocks kept coursing through him at intervals of a few seconds. Dieter watched on dispassionately, approaching Kynarus and looking down at the young turian with some pity.

"I'm going to leave you for now, Kynarus," Dieter said, reaching down to the young turian's chest and pulling the small metallic bolt out of Kynarus' skin. The shocks stopped instantly and Kynarus remained on his knees, breathing heavily and barely able to move his muscles without them going into agony.

"That way you can have some time to think over your decision," Dieter said, pocketing the small bolt and turning around. He headed for the door, keying in a specific set of buttons into the panel by the door. It opened a few seconds later and carrying both the towel and bag of pieces from the broken computer, Dieter left while humming quietly to himself. Once again he was back into that usual carefree mood of his, disappearing around the doorway seconds before the door itself closed.

Kynarus painfully rose onto his feet, steadying himself on the nearby desk as he thought through what had just happened. Dieter wanted him to work for him and despite the threat to Katherine's life he had refused. Of course, he wouldn't refuse the next time Dieter came in to see him since the one thing he didn't want to do was put Katherine's life into more danger than it already was.

Kynarus started swearing loudly to himself in turian, angry at himself and the rest of the universe when he realized the situation he was in. This time he truly was at Dieter's mercy and this time he knew there was no way out, at least not yet. He would either accept Dieter's offer or end up dead, along with Katherine. That was one thing he couldn't cope with and so he made his way over to the bed and lay on his back, trying to choke back the tears of hopelessness that started trickling down from his eyes. Things were definitely going wrong for him now.

* * *

About ten minutes later and long enough for Kynarus to clear his mind, the door opened again. Kynarus was lying on the bed, trying to think this whole "offer" through and trying to determine whether or not it was worth a try just to escape. He doubted it was seeing as he was on Dieter's ship and it was more than likely full of guards that wouldn't hesitate to shot him.

Kynarus only turned his head towards the door when it slid open, seeing who it was and returning to his thoughts. It was Rellin, still in a black armour suit and scanning the room with the glowing blue artificial eye. The metallic parts of his face gleamed in the light of the room and he looked towards Kynarus, probably trying to work him out.

Rellin had changed personality wise and not only physically. Kynarus was quite certain it was because of the synthetics his old friend was fitted with and the fact he was working for Dieter. Dieter expected complete loyalty from his followers and he would have made sure that Rellin was loyal before letting him loose.

"You're not here to try and change my mind, are you?" Kynarus asked, only glancing over at Rellin. He felt a little uneasy speaking to someone who was part machine but he didn't seem to have much choice in the matter. Regardless, he could seize this chance to learn a little more about what Dieter wanted him to do.

Rellin seemed to think about this for a moment while his artificial eye fixed on Kynarus. For al the young turian knew it was probably able to see right through him, displaying statistics on body heat and heart-rate. This would give Rellin enough information to figure out what Kynarus was thinking and thus give him a bit of an edge in the conversation.

"I'm here to tell you a few things about what the corporation is trying to achieve," Rellin replied. It was the sort of answer Kynarus had been expecting, the young turian sitting up and turning around to face Rellin.

"Consumer advice, more or less?" Kynarus said with some sarcasm, "great, sounds really good. Why don't you just spit it out already and tell me?"

Rellin was unfazed by the way Kynarus was speaking to him, simply regarding the young turian with some noticeable scorn. He obviously didn't think very highly of him from what Kynarus could tell by the way he was looking at him.

"You used to be a good soldier, Kynarus," Rellin said in an almost pitying manner. This struck Kynarus as a bit odd but he let the older turian keep talking, listening intently.

"Now look at you: you're a no-good mercenary who likes drugs, alcohol and cheap women. You may think it's a good, fast-paced life but in reality you're just another washout. You lost whatever good thing you had going years ago," Rellin said, shaking his head in pity, "you'll most likely end up dead on a drug overdose if you keep going the way you are."

Kynarus had heard this all before from plenty of other people so it really wasn't a shock to him. Rather, he simply nodded along with it to make it look like he actually cared about what Rellin had to say. Death by drug overdose had always been a threat but Kynarus didn't particularly care: if it happened, it happened. It would just be bad luck. If Rellin was trying to talk him into working for Dieter it really wasn't working.

"You don't think I already know all of this?" Kynarus asked, unable to help but let some exasperation creep into his voice, "because I do. I know that my life is a wreck and I don't need people like you reminding me about it. So how about you just turn around and leave the room before I get really angry?"

Rellin regarded him briefly before chuckling, his voice tinged with something mechanical and artificial. It was a malevolent chuckle, the type that made Kynarus' blood run cold. Rellin was definitely not at all like his old self at all, special thanks going to Dieter and the corporation for that.

"Did you know I knew about Lalias?" Rellin asked, "It wasn't hard to figure out. You two always did spend more time together than with anyone else. Too bad about what happened to her, huh?"

Kynarus felt his heart jump a beat. How the hell did Rellin know about Lalias? The two of them had kept it a well hidden secret as far as they could tell and now here Rellin was, telling him all these things about his life that only Kynarus should have known. Maybe Rellin and Dieter knew more about him than he did of himself, he wouldn't be surprised if they did seeing as they knew plenty of other things as well. They seemed to be the type of people who enjoyed intruding on the private lives of their enemies.

"You don't actually think you were the only one she slept with?" Rellin laughed the same malevolent and mechanical laugh again, "Hell, I must have fucked her like ten times. She slept around a lot, you just happened to be the last man she did it with…"

"You're lying," Kynarus hissed, unable to believe what he was hearing. To top it off, Rellin was using human expletives to emphasize his point. If Rellin kept up like this Kynarus may very well lose it and then he had no idea what would happen.

"She always did seem to like you the most," Rellin continued, his voice sounding more satisfied than usual, as if he was enjoying telling Kynarus this, "she was, after all, the only female at the base. If she wanted a promotion she would sleep with the Captain, if she just wanted to have fun she would sleep with me. You obviously had no idea about her, did you?"

Kynarus simply wanted to lash out at Rellin but he knew that it was no use. His "old friend" was slowly destroying his perception of Lalias and it was succeeding. Kynarus realized that even if Rellin wasn't telling the truth his only option was to fight "fire with fire".

"She told me about you," Kynarus said, keeping his voice calm as he said this. Rellin looked surprised but quickly composed himself, listening to what the younger turian had to say.

"Really?" He asked, "I'm flattered. What did she say?"

"She said you were terrible in the bedroom," Kynarus said with a smile, "that's why she came to me. And guess what she said about me."

Rellin's demeanour changed immediately, going from satisfied to angry. His half synthetic and half organic face settled into an enraged grimace and his one organic eye narrowed.

"What did she say?" His voice was tinged with hatred and this made Kynarus feel a little better about himself.

"She said I was great in comparison to you," Kynarus said, unable to keep the satisfaction from flowing into his voice, "she said, '_Oh Kynarus, you make me feel like a real woman'_…"  
Kynarus saw Rellin clench his synthetic right hand into a fist. The blow that immediately followed was enough to knock the younger turian onto the floor, the side of his face going numb briefly as it tried to recover from the superior strength the synthetics gave Rellin. Kynarus sat up, rubbing the side of his face and finding that his nose had started bleeding a little. Still, he kept laughing, looking up at Rellin and purposely exaggerating his laugh to annoy the older turian some more.

Rellin shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the things Kynarus had forced into his head. The younger turian was lying no doubt but he certainly seemed to be enjoying himself, something which was annoying Rellin quite a lot.

"It doesn't matter now, though," Rellin said as Kynarus rose back onto his feet, "I've got someone else now. I think you know her."

"Who?"

"Yelina," Rellin said, "she lured you back to her apartment so Dieter could get you. Don't you remember?"

Kynarus remembered this alright but he doubted Rellin had been told the full details of what had happened. He thought he would let his "old friend" know, seeing as Dieter obviously hadn't told him.

"So, the plan was for Yelina to lure me into the trap? Am I right?" Kynarus asked, wiping the thin trickle of blood running down from his right nostril.

Rellin nodded in response.

"And then Dieter came in and caught you," Rellin said, "after all, you were always a sucker for pretty young turian girls…"

"Did he tell you it took him a few hours to arrive?"

"Who?"

"Dieter," Kynarus replied, having found the one thing Rellin hadn't been informed about, "and to top things off, when he got me he also took Yelina. He was going to leave for that krogan to 'play' with but luckily I killed the big reptile before any harm could come to him."  
Rellin was shaking his head, mostly in disbelief since he hadn't actually been told about these things. Rellin had told Dieter to get him a woman and the human had obliged, finding a young turian female named Yelina who had previously been used as a lure for Kynarus. Dieter hadn't told him any of the details and Rellin had assumed there hadn't been any.

"Do you know what happened during those few hours?" Kynarus asked, seeing that he had the upper hand for once. Rellin shook his head slowly, obviously having only received Yelina as a "gift" recently.

"What?"

"Have a guess."

Rellin swung his synthetic right fist again, this time getting the younger turian in the stomach. Once again Kynarus fell onto the floor, ending up on his knees and winded. While he gasped for air Rellin paced around him, kicking him in the side as he did so. Kynarus fell onto the floor completely this time, laughing in between gasps seeing that he was having the desired effect on Rellin.

"Dieter only tells you what he wants you to know," Kynarus said, struggling back up onto his knees and breathing heavily. Rellin stopped in front of him, looking down at the younger turian with some noticeable hatred.

"He's hiding things from you all the time," Kynarus said, slowly rising back onto his feet, "he's controlling you, can't you see that? He's probably brainwashed you through those synthetic spare parts he fitted you with…"

Rellin didn't reply, obviously a little shaken from all that Kynarus had said. There was a trace of doubt on his face and Kynarus knew he was finally getting through, albeit to a small extent.

"You're under his control Rellin, can't you see that?" Kynarus said, pressing his point further, "he only wants to use you…"

"Shut up!" Rellin shouted abruptly, Kynarus falling silent. The older turian paced around the room a few moments more, eyeing Kynarus with some dislike.

Kynarus, deep down, would be left permanently affected by what Rellin had told him about Lalias. He knew now that his only true love was Katherine and that he had been so affected by Lalias' death for so long that he shouldn't have seeing as she was the type that just slept around for the fun of it. He had been scarred for so many years over something he really shouldn't have cared too much about. It would be hard to ever work out whether Rellin was telling the truth or not but even if he hadn't been the words still hurt.

He knew he had to save Katherine and make sure she didn't come to anymore harm. That would mean playing along with whatever plan Dieter had come up with until there was a chance to get Katherine and escape.

"So, uh, to change the subject a little…" Kynarus began, watching as Rellin stopped pacing and turned to face him. There was still some noticeable hatred on the turian's half-synthetic face but Rellin didn't say anything so Kynarus took this as a sign to continue.

"Just why are we going to Mars? I'm still not too sure about it…" Kynarus said.

Rellin didn't reply for a moment, probably thinking the answer though before saying anything.

"The only man who may know where the package is located is currently locked away in a maximum security prison," Rellin said, his voice cold and menacing, "you're going to help us break him out. That way, when the fallout from the breakout arrives we can pin the whole thing on you. Do you understand now?"  
Kynarus simply nodded although he didn't like the idea. For one thing, he actually had to work for Dieter and his goons and for another he would be getting in more trouble than he ever had been. It would be fairly easy to make him out to be the mastermind behind the whole breakout attempt, that way the heat would go off of Dieter and onto Kynarus. This would create all sorts of problems for him but it seemed he didn't have much choice.

"Who are we breaking out?" Kynarus asked, unable to remember the name he had been told by Rellin and Heinrich during their encounter back on the Citadel.

"Herbert von Schraeder," Rellin replied, "he used to be in charge of the corporation. He was the one who started the operation to recover the package and he may know where it is. That's why you'll be leading the team to break him out. It's very likely you'll be killed during the operation but that will just be an added bonus, I think."

Kynarus nodded again. He doubted he would allow himself to get killed since breaking into a maximum security prison would be considerably easier than breaking out of one. Besides, it couldn't be that hard and Dieter would be sure to plan it well.

Rellin was satisfied that he had finished talking to the younger turian and so turned around and started for the door. He keyed in the password into the panel by the door, the door itself sliding open.

"I would advise you accept the offer of working for us, Kynarus," Rellin said, managing one last look at the younger turian before stepping out of the room, "otherwise your human girlfriend will suffer before she dies."

Kynarus didn't say a word as the door closed behind Rellin, shutting him out of the room. He did clench a fist but remained silent, preferring to keep his thoughts to himself as he contemplated on what to do next. His perception of Lalias had been thoroughly destroyed and once again he collapsed onto the bed, trying to hold back the tears that were welling up in his eyes when he realized that everything he had known about her had been a lie. His life was more of a wreck than ever and the only one he could rely on now was Katherine but she wasn't even safe anymore. He was a failure; he had no doubt about that.

_I'll kill you Rellin,_ Kynarus thought, slamming his right fist onto the bed, _and I'll kill the rest of your corporation friends. You all just started something you won't be able to finish._

* * *

"What do we know of the prison?"

Francis Darian stood by the planning table, flicking a switch on its underbelly which in turn lit the top of the table up with a white light. Francis brought out the holo-map and spread it across the light, the many different contours and markers on the map standing out against the white light.

Standing to his left was Hermann Holst while Dieter stood at the other side of the table. Dieter pointed to one part of the map marked by a series of curved lines ridged with small pointed triangles.

"What do these represent?" Dieter said, running a finger along the lines which went right around the prison structure in the centre of the map.

"Those represent the boundaries the above ground sensors reach," Francis said, "they run for about two kilometres outside of the prison. They detect body heat and so anything that isn't meant to be in the area is met with a patrol of guards. Of course, I've spent some time finding a way around this."  
Francis pointed towards a small black square right at the boundary of the sensor radius.

"This here is the north-eastern guard post and is where the only blind spot in the sensors are. From the guard post it is possible to deactivate the sensors and set off alarms within the prison."

Dieter nodded, the idea appealing to him considerably. If they were to set alarms off on the far side of the prison this would help draw many of the prison guards away from the where the team would approach. This team would consist of about a dozen men, lead by Kynarus Vakarian and Klaus Mueller. Klaus was a reliable soldier but a bit on the reckless side and thus Kynarus would be able to control him. The turian didn't have any other choice but to help them, and would take the fall when the breakout succeeded. Already they were in the process of setting up false evidence that would indicate Kynarus Vakarian was the mastermind behind the breakout.

Dieter looked at Francis and then at Hermann. Francis was the technology expert of the group and he was the one who was responsible for finding some way through the mass of security grids and systems that were in and around the prison. He wouldn't actually accompany the team to the surface but he would guide them from the frigate. Francis was useless in a combat situation, usually running away than staying and fighting.  
Hermann would be staying on the frigate as well, his capabilities were better utilized here than on the ground. Dieter had noticed Hermann seemed a bit on edge lately but that was understandable considering all the group had been through ever since Talerian. Dieter, of course, done his best to remain calm and collected and serve as a role model to the rest of his men.

"Show me the planned approach route," Dieter said. Francis flicked a switch and a thick red line wound its way across the map, showing the way the team would approach. It crossed the barren landscape from the insertion point before finding its way to the guard post. From there it went to one of the entrances into the prison's maintenance tunnels. It seemed a safe enough advance and the agents they had working inside the prison would facilitate it somewhat.

"The plan so far is this," Francis said, tracing one finger along the thick red line on the map, "the team is inserted via transport Mako at the drop zone. From there they cross the terrain in the vehicle to the ridge here." Francis stopped his finger at a set of close-knit contour lines. "This is where the team will abandon the Mako and make their way to the guard post. At the guard post they will neutralize the guards there and can set off alarms in another part of the base to provide a distraction. However, it is imperative they deactivate the sensor grid or the whole mission will be compromised."

Dieter nodded, listening as Francis outlined the rest of the plan.

"The team will then move on to the northeast maintenance tunnel. It will most likely be guarded but this shouldn't be too much of a problem for the team. From the entrance it is possible to go straight into the prison's lower levels."  
"Whereabouts would Schraeder be located?" Dieter asked, satisfied with how the plan was being worked out.

"The MCA keeps all the biotic prisoners in a set of underground levels," Francis said, "down here it's more like a laboratory than anything else. I think they like experimenting on some of the biotic prisoners and often cart them off to black ops facilities.

"Anyway, down in these levels it's very likely to be heavily guarded. Schraeder, being a fairly new addition to the place, will probably still be in his original cell. I doubt they would have had much chance to do anything to him yet. It shouldn't be too hard to find him down there, I'd just be careful around the other prisoners. Some will be quite, uh…_loony_…"  
Dieter nodded, a little repulsed by the fact that the Alliance could even contemplate on experimenting on biotic prisoners. He guessed no regular person cared much for biotics, especially if they were criminals. He hoped Schraeder was alright otherwise this whole mission would be a disaster.

The 'MCA' Francis was referring to was in fact the Mars Colonial Authority, the law enforcement organization that controlled the red planet. There would be plenty of MCA officers guarding the prison but Dieter doubted the combat finesse of most of these rent-a-cops, confident that the team that went in to break out Schraeder would be able to handle itself fine.

"Sounds good so far, Francis," Dieter said with a smile. He looked towards Hermann who hadn't said a word throughout the whole conversation. Hermann seemed to be staring off into space, deep in his own thoughts to really be paying attention.

"What do you think about it, Hermann?" Dieter asked. Hermann looked up, taken off guard a little but he managed to figure out what Dieter was referring to and reply.

"Uh…Are you sure about sending in Klaus and that turian?" Hermann asked. The doubt was clearly evident in his voice. "The two of them together sounds like a recipe for disaster."

Dieter shrugged. He wouldn't be sending those two down if he knew it wouldn't end up working out. He had confidence in the both of them and he knew that Kynarus would cooperate; he would have to if he wanted to see Katherine alive again.

"The two will keep each other under control," Dieter said, "Kynarus has the sense a soldier needs. Klaus had the determination a soldier needs. If we didn't send both of them down together the mission would end up a shambles. If we only sent Klaus he would do something stupid and if we only sent Kynarus he would decide to do things his own way. They need to be together."

Hermann still looked unsure about this but he didn't say anything more. Dieter, satisfied that this particular matter had been settled, looked towards Francis and then at the old fashioned watch he had on his wrist.

"How long until we are in Mars' orbit?" Dieter asked, "I still have a few things to do."

Francis looked up and then back down at his watch. After a moment's thinking he looked back towards Dieter and replied.  
"About three hours and then we'll need to be cleared to enter the planet's atmosphere," Francis said, "these days they're very strict about who goes to Mars seeing as they're still researching those alien ruins. They don't just want anyone arriving to take a look."  
Dieter thought about this for a moment, knowing that traffic to and from Mars was limited. There was still a colony there but it was more of a quiet backwater than anything else. They would be allowed to land there but first they would need to drop the team off in the Mako at the insertion zone. Dieter frowned, realizing this was a good chance to test the new stealth systems he had had installed on the frigate recently.

"Tell the people down in engineering to prepare the stealth systems," Dieter said, "And tell them to make sure they're ready to be switched on within the next three hours. Otherwise we'll end up getting shot out of the sky before we can get close enough to the drop zone."  
Francis nodded, turning around and leaving the conference room. Hermann didn't have anymore reason to be in here and followed Francis out of the room, leaving Dieter to survey the map for a while longer. Dieter realized it was probably about time he went to talk to Kynarus again and so switched off the table's light and left the room.

Dieter had a feeling that today would be a good day seeing as they would be saving one of the greatest figures of the corporation from certain experimentation in the prison on Mars. He was confident the whole mission would play out smoothly and that Herbert von Schraeder will be on the frigate in no time at all.

Dieter, personally, hadn't had much to do with Mars. It was just another backwater world and it didn't even have a breathable atmosphere, a factor that helped to limit tourism. Of course, Dieter wasn't going to go to Mars as a tourist. There wasn't even much on the planet save for the Prothean ruins, a large mostly underground colony and several outposts (not to mention the prison). The colony itself was ruled and controlled by the Mars Colonial Authority and there had been many rumours that it was corrupt and oppressive to the lower classed people on the planet.

Dieter passed through the corridors of the ship, heading to the room where Kynarus was being held. He managed to catch a glimpse of Rellin Kia'Shan leaving the room, the pair brushing past each other as they went. Dieter would have said hello and struck up a conversation but Rellin was looking especially angry and the glare he shot Dieter was enough to tell the human that he wasn't in the mood for talking.

_Why is he so angry? I got him Yelina, after all._

Rellin had requested a female turian to provide him with some company and the only one Dieter could find willing enough had been Yelina. She was now in the care of Rellin and she probably wasn't enjoying it (having expected the male she would end up with to not be half synthetic) but Dieter knew he had to do whatever it took to control the easily annoyed turian. Rellin was probably on his way to see her now, having locked her in his living quarters. Dieter would usually intervene if one of his own loyal soldiers was keeping a female in their quarters as some sort of sex slave but Dieter couldn't risk annoying Rellin. He had become unruly lately and more and more dangerous. Soon enough would come the time to put down Dieter's creation, even if it meant setting their synthetics research back a few years.

Dieter let these thoughts slide as he stopped outside of Kynarus' room, keying the password into the panel by the door. He was certain that the captive turian would cooperate; he had no other choice but to. It did turn out that Dieter's visit hadn't been in vain after all, Kynarus finally seeing reason to cooperate. Dieter had Katherine captive in another part of the ship after all and she and the turian were at the mercy of whatever Dieter ordered.

When Kynarus did finally give in Dieter happily got the turian a drink before giving him a brief tour of the ship, showing off the new stealth systems which had been reverse-engineered right off of some other ship, an Alliance one in service under a certain Commander Shepard…


	21. Mars Colonial Authroity

**Location: **Somewhere on Mars, fourth planet from the Sun, Sol system

_Did I have a choice? No, I didn't. It was either this or death for both me and Katherine._

Kynarus sat in silence as the rover rumbled along the rough Martian terrain, bouncing about and occasionally getting airborne slightly. The young turian hadn't said a word since he had boarded the rover, the rover and its passengers being dropped a shot distance from Dieter's frigate and onto the red, dusty surface of Mars. He preferred to keep quiet, surrounded by humans he didn't really want to talk to and on a planet he didn't really want to be on.

There were eleven others in the team but only one had actually told him their name. The one that had told him his name was in fact the team's leader, some dark blonde-haired human named Klaus Mueller. He was sitting across from Kynarus inside the not-so spacious interior of the troop transport, humming quietly and occasionally eyeing the turian with noticeable distrust. He was yet to say much more to Kynarus and had told the other team members not to talk to the turian.

Kynarus, when he had finally accepted upon Dieter's second visit to his quarters, had been given a quick guided tour of Dieter's ship. Dieter had been happy to show off his pride and joy, showing Kynarus around the ship and spent the most time in the engineering section, Dieter going on and on about the new stealth systems. Kynarus didn't particularly care but had decided to keep the information and layout of the ship fresh in his mind just in case he ever needed to refer to it.

Once the tour had finished Dieter had taken Kynarus to a locker room and introduced him to the rest of the team. None of them had been interested in talking to him, not that Kynarus cared too much, and had instead gotten changed into the black, bulky suit of armour he now wore. The team had then been briefed on the plan but Kynarus had managed to simplify down to something easier to follow.

Apparently there was a surface sensor grid that went for two standard miles around the prison. These sensors could detect any unscheduled heat and movement and alert the base to a possible escaped prisoner of intruder. It would be minutes before a patrol was sent out in a rover to investigate the disturbance and thus disabling this sensor grid was imperative to the plan. There was one guard post on the very edge of this sensor grid and from the guard post it was possible to disable the sensor grid. The team would be dropped off a few kilometres from the guard post and would trek cross country to the guard post before eliminating whatever guards were there and using the computers to shut down the sensor grid.  
From there they would continue to one of the maintenance tunnels that went straight into the prison. The tunnel itself would most likely be guarded but that would probably be a relatively easy obstacle to overcome, the team having to be sure no guards raised the alarm. The maintenance tunnel would take them into the lower levels of the prison and from there they could search for Herbert von Schraeder who would probably be in the biotic prisoners section. This was apparently a highly secured section of the prisoner full of the dangerous biotic prisoners and would probably be tough to get into.

Kynarus really had no idea what was so important about Schraeder but he did know that this human may be the only one with useful information concerning the location of the package. Since Dieter's other plans failed they had to fallback onto this one, freeing the previous head of the Zahni Corporation from one of the toughest prisons in the Human Systems Alliance. It was a high risk operation but apparently the only plan Dieter had left, meaning that it would have to work.

The escape plan was fairly simple, involving the team escorting the prisoner back to where the rover was parked and making a getaway back to the insertion point. Upon arrival at the insertion point, Dieter's frigate would come down and pick up the rover before heading back into orbit. Hopefully nothing would go wrong and complicate the plan although Kynarus was sort of hoping something did go wrong. That way he could seize the opportunity to make good his escape and try and rescue Katherine from Dieter's frigate.

Kynarus, prior to leaving the frigate in the rover, had made sure to read up about the planet so he knew what to expect. From orbit the planet had appeared as a standard-sized barren world, appearing as an orange-red colour from above. Both its polar caps were of white ice and completely frozen over while the planet itself was apparently quite cold. Of course, the climate control systems inside Kynarus' armour would keep him comfortable during the upcoming walk across the surface.

The planet was smaller than most other worlds and thus had less gravity than what Kynarus and the humans were used to. This would allow movement to be a bit easier on the surface but this also meant the guards at the prison would have the same advantage, possibly making any firefights more about outmanoeuvring your opponent than the usual flanking procedures.

The surface itself mostly consisted of a sort of red iron-ore, leading many humans to nickname the planet as the "red planet" because of the reddish look it had. The planet had its fair share of land formations, from craters to towering mountains and a massive gorge that ran across half of the planet's equator. Today though their movements would be in a region mostly flat and rocky, with a few ridges here and there but otherwise somewhat easy terrain compared to the rest of the planet.

The atmosphere had slightly less pressure than what Kynarus and the humans could survive in and the atmosphere itself was ninety-five percent carbon dioxide. No human or turian could survive in an atmosphere like that so the armour they wore would be completely sealed from the exterior atmosphere once they had placed their helmets on. If one were to walk out onto Mars' surface without an environmental suit they would die of asphyxiation within a minute while their nose and eyes bled from broken capillaries because of the lower air pressure. It wasn't exactly a grisly death but it wasn't the way Kynarus had envisioned himself dying so he knew he would have to be extra careful while out on the surface. If his shields were compromised he would end up expelling the precious air he needed to survive.

Mars was an important planet in human history, being only fourth from the Sun in humanity's home system. Earth, humanity's home world, was only third from the sun and thus Mars had been one of the first planets human had reached. On Mars they had found the cache of Prothean technology that had allowed them to reach even further stars than before, their first voyages causing the First Contact War as a result. The humans had made a bit of a nuisance of themselves since the beginning, spreading throughout the galaxy and stubbornly trying to colonize worlds on the edges of known space and complaining when they were attacked. Kynarus knew he couldn't exactly complain about the humans though, he was in love with one after all.

Humanity had considered Mars an early terraforming possibility, having plans to make the planet more habitable and give it a breathable atmosphere. Of course, these plans had been put on the backburner after the discovery of the Prothean technology and Mars had remained the same as it always had been. It was practically no different to other barren worlds in the galaxy save for its orange-red appearance.

These days, Mars had been closed off to most general traffic. The large colony that was located a considerable distance from the prison was governed by an Administrator and the law was enforced by the Mars Colonial Authority, a Human Systems Alliance sub-organization created solely for the purpose of controlling the population of Mars and keeping an eye on the Prothean ruins. This organization was more or less the police force of Mars, keeping guard at the many scientific research outposts dotted around the planet and making sure the population of the colony was under control. There had been numerous rumours of corruption in the colony's government but they were only rumours and as such shouldn't be easily believed.

The Mars Colonial Authority (known as the MCA for short) had officers guarding and running the prison where Schraeder was being kept. According to information that had been given to Kynarus and the rest of the team many of these officers would prove to be trained in the use of light weapons, equipped with light protection and have only limited combat training. They were more or less the rent-a-cops of Mars, being transferred to places they probably didn't want to be. They were probably as reluctant as Kynarus was; the turian was not at all comfortable with working with these humans. He hadn't much choice though but was still annoyed at himself for being so stupid in the past and falling for the "anonymous" phone call. He should have just stayed in the motel room with Katherine and protected her.

Kynarus couldn't help but blame himself for Katherine's capture. She had been hurt seriously enough judging by the picture Dieter had showed her that the human wasn't joking when he said he would kill her if Kynarus didn't cooperate. Kynarus didn't like the idea of being forced to work for Dieter and become part of whatever twisted scheme he had devised but it was a matter of limited choice for the young turian. Currently he was unable to try and escape safely, after all he was on some alien world and surrounded by people who would kill him if he so much as disobeyed an order.

One other thing that was eating away at the young turian's mind like a parasite was the things the now twisted Rellin Kia'Shan had told him. According to him Lalias had been the type who slept around the military base and that Kynarus had only been another of her partners. This had come as both a shock and severe blow to the young turian and at first he had had no idea what to think. To cover up his surprise he had tried using lies against Rellin and had succeeded in riling up the half-synthetic turian but deep down Kynarus was angry at himself for all that had happened. Lalias had been less faithful than he had first thought and that his whole life since meeting her had become an utter shambles. He had quit the military, blaming himself for her death while in fact she probably would have simply moved on to another turian male after the battle finished, if she survived.

Cerberus, on the other hand, had helped facilitate his downfall from decorated officer to washout mercenary. They had been the ones to attack the labs at Hallian and they had been the ones to destroy the turian military base there. They had disfigured Rellin and left him to be found by Dieter, rebuilt into a twisted hulk of flesh and steel. Cerberus had played such a major hand in Kynarus' life and he hadn't even known about it until recently.

Kynarus hung his head low, looking down at the floor of the rover as it rumbled over the uneven Martian terrain. He was yet to see what the surface looked like, having only seen the planet from orbit. There were no view-ports in the passenger section of the frigate and thus the only things even vaguely interesting to look at were himself and the other team members, most of which were ignoring him.

Kynarus realized that the only thing he had to live for now was Katherine. She had shown him that maybe his life was worth living after all, the pair being genuinely in love. Kynarus knew it was a love that should not have happened but it had and at a surprising pace as well. It seemed only yesterday that he had found her on Talerian, wounded and dying before he had carried her to the medical clinic. It hadn't been too long ago the pair had lain in bed together in the motel room back on the Citadel, snuggling up close and warming each other. He didn't want to lose her too and it seemed he would if he did anything wrong on this breakout operation.

He knew that a human and turian relationship was the uncommon type and possibly even unheard of. The two species distrusted each other but Kynarus knew that something like this, if it got out, would probably either help bring the two species closer together or completely destroy human and turian relations. The memories of the First Contact War were still fresh in the minds of people affected by it, whether directly or indirectly, Kynarus' grandfather having been an officer killed in one of the early battles of the war. Klaus Mueller, the crazy looking blonde-haired human sitting across from him, had apparently had both parents killed in the war since both had served in the human military. No doubt he hated Kynarus' guts, a prejudice not uncommon amongst humans.

Kynarus sat back in his seat, taking the chance to check over his assault rifle. It was the same model that the other team members were equipped with and appeared to be different than most others Kynarus had used before, with a grey-black finish and short zoom scope. The weapon itself worked on the same principles as common assault rifles but rather than fire small, pin-sized rounds launched in an accurate mass effect field these weapons fired large, razor sharp rounds that chewed through "magazines" quicker than other weapons. Whereas a regular magazine may last several months in active service, the magazines used for these weapons may only last a couple of months. However, the shape of the rounds and size added more power and armour-piercing capabilities than standard bullets. It seemed Dieter liked to give his men an advantage with the weapons they used, seeing as the weapons Kynarus and the team members had been equipped with were of a custom Zahni Corporation design. As well as these weapons, Kynarus had also been stuck with holding a few specially made breaching charges which were clipped to his waist. He didn't trust them though, they may go off unexpectedly when he was holding them.

Kynarus watched with only slight curiosity as Klaus slipped a metal slab of a magazine into the hilt of his rifle, the slight orange glow from the metal indicating that they were some form of incendiary rounds. Incendiary rounds were capable of eating through any known material and vaporizing their targets. Such rounds were often only used in the military and were banned within civilian populations but obviously the Zahni Corporation had managed to become part of the exclusive community that used such harsh weaponry. Klaus only glanced up at Kynarus, seeing the turian had taken some interest in what he was doing. The distrust was clearly evident in the human's blue eyes but he didn't say anything, the pair exchanging glances before the turian was back to fiddling with his own weapon.

Kynarus was carrying a standard Zahni Corporation sidearm as well, as a backup. All weapons the Corporation used were built by its subsidiary Zahni Weapons Research and Development, as it said on the hilt of the weapons. Kynarus un-holstered his pistol, taking note of how new and shiny it looked. It certainly beat the Stinger pistol he had become accustomed to using over all of these years, doing his best to maintain it but finding that as the years wore on so did the wear on the pistol.

Checking that the pistol's magazine was in tight the turian put it back into its holster, noticing that the other team members were checking their weapons as well. The team marksman, a human with dark hair and looking of a fairly young age, was adjusting the calibration on his sniper rifle's scope. He would probably be the one to fire the first shots of the mission, covering the team when they arrived at the guard post within the next hour. The marksman noticed Kynarus' gaze and nodded his head towards the turian, a friendly expression on his face as he made sure the weapon was ready to fire.

Kynarus nodded back, figuring that not all of the team members hated him. He guessed that they were simply following an order by not talking to him unless absolutely necessary, an order Klaus had given the team when they had first started getting on board the rover back in the garage bay of Dieter's frigate. Kynarus guessed a soldier that spoke to him voluntarily would get a mouthful of abuse from Klaus, who seemed the type of officer that treated his men like dirt. That may explain why no one was talking, occasionally muttering under their breaths and checking their weapons and armour but otherwise not actually speaking aloud.

Kynarus shifted where he sat, trying to find a comfortable enough position for his backside. The armour he had been given had been made the fit a turian frame but not necessarily his frame, the young turian having found it was tight around the waist and put unnecessary pressure on his backside. He doubted comfort had been something in the mind of the manufacturers, protection having been a far more pressing issue. Regardless Kynarus didn't think he could last a full day in this armour and hoped he would be able to get dressed into something more comfortable soon; otherwise he might end up being unable to sit down for a while.

_Damn human armour design,_ Kynarus thought. He noticed Klaus was watching him carefully, not at all fazed by the fact the young turian knew he was staring at him.

"Ever been to Mars, Kye?" Klaus said, using a shortened version of Kynarus' name. It was the sort of nickname that Kynarus wouldn't normally have a problem with except that Klaus used it an awful number of times and said it in a tone of voice tinged with dislike.

Kynarus figured he would be better off if he replied to the human's question, shaking his head in response to this one. Klaus was keeping himself calm and collected although Kynarus could still see the dislike on his face.

"No, no I haven't," Kynarus replied, "why?"

"Just curious," Klaus said casually, "I was thinking maybe you had been here before. That way there would be more point if for you to tag along…"

"It wasn't my decision," Kynarus replied, unable to keep the anger out of his voice. He didn't like the way the human was speaking to him but knew he couldn't do much about it; any insubordination would probably lead to him getting shot.

"I didn't have a choice," the turian added quickly, "so, if you want to complain about it to someone, complain to your boss. Don't talk to me about it since I really don't care."  
Klaus simply nodded, probably a little amused at the effect he was having on Kynarus. Annoying the turian seemed to have been one of the goals he had had in his mind.

"You're lucky my boss has a thing for dumbass turians," Klaus said calmly, smiling a little, "otherwise you would be dead already. Hell, you managed to kill that krogan and maybe Dieter just wants to use you as a sort of replacement." Klaus paused, seeing that Kynarus was only just listening.

Kynarus didn't really like the idea of being a sort of "replacement" for the krogan he had killed back on the Citadel. That would mean Dieter had a plan of hiring Kynarus long-term and that was definitely something the young turian didn't want. He had been told that after this breakout operation was done he would get Katherine back and the pair could go their own way.

"How did you kill Kalax?"

"Who?" Kynarus looked up, his own thoughts interrupted by this question. Klaus frowned for a moment before rephrasing his question.

"The krogan. How did you kill him?"

Kynarus could now distinctly remember the brawl that had occurred between him and the burly krogan, the military issue talon having been right at his throat before he had managed to gain the upper hand after spitting in the krogan's right eye.

"I slit his throat," Kynarus said bluntly, "it wasn't as hard as it sounds. Especially if you have something sharp enough for the job."

"Your talons?" Klaus asked.

Kynarus looked town at his clawed fingers, shrugging. They hadn't done the job and probably wouldn't be able to on a krogan without needing a fairly strong amount of effort.

"No, not _my_ talons. Just a military issue blade that the krogan had been planning on using against me. I grabbed it and spat in his right eye for good measure. Why do you want to know all of this?"

Klaus laughed a hearty chuckle, regarding Kynarus with some noticeable dislike but he did look a little impressed.

"You must be a hell of a fighter," Klaus said, "even resorting to such classic tactics as spitting in the opponent's eyes! Why didn't I think of that?" Klaus laughed again but Kynarus failed to see the joke, the turian sitting quietly and watching the human through narrowed eyes.

"Anything else I should know about?" Klaus asked, "Because I can certainly see what my boss saw in you. He likes a ruthless fighter, that's why he hired me. Maybe having you on the team isn't a terrible mistake…"

_Having _you_ on the team certainly was,_ Kynarus thought with a subdued grin. He kept his face mostly neutral, deciding to only reply to Klaus' questions if absolutely necessary. He didn't like the human much and wasn't about to change his perception of him anytime soon.

"I read about your military years," Klaus said, "some interesting stuff there. You were a decorated war hero but left for some reason soon after. Why is that?"

_It seems everyone knows my history,_ Kynarus thought. So many people had decided to read up on his background that now he was being faced with more and more personal questions than before. The last person he wanted to discuss them with was Klaus and so the young turian simply shook his head, seeing a slight frown form on the human's face.

"It's really none of your business," Kynarus said bluntly.

Klaus seemed insulted at first but his face quickly returned to its normal, slightly smiling state.

"You really don't want to talk about it, do you?" Klaus asked, "I did hear it had something to do with a Cerberus raid or something. I also heard it was because of some female turian…"

Kynarus didn't like having his personal life being probed like this. So far his perception of the female turian in question had been shattered by what Rellin had told him earlier and he didn't need Klaus to find out about it. He didn't care what the human thought, Kynarus just wouldn't clarify any of the obscure facts he was mentioning.

"What are female turians like, anyway?" Klaus asked suddenly, his eyes looking a little brighter than usual. Kynarus looked at him with a bemused expression, having been thrown a little off-guard by the question.

"What are they like?" Klaus asked again, "Go on and tell me, I haven't seen one before. Are they hot?"

"It's a matter of what you like," Kynarus said, "and I doubt you'd like female turians. They aren't too much like your human females…"

Klaus shrugged.

"Tell me about them anyway," Klaus asked, "for instance, do they have breasts? I've always been curious about that…"

Kynarus only shot him a strange look, not really sure whether this was the best thing to be discussing right now. Klaus looked eager to hear the answer and Kynarus only replied with a single word, watching with some amusement at Klaus' reaction.

"Really? Are they big?"

"It depends," Kynarus said. He found it a bit hard to believe he was discussing this with a human but he guessed that times were changing and that this sort of thing would begin to get more common. After all, he and Katherine had become more than just friends so he guessed it wasn't the first time this sort of relationship had turned up.

Klaus looked somewhat more attentive now. He was like a teenager, choosing to listen to only what interested him, ignoring most other topics of conversation and finding the whole "turian female" topic of conversation fairly amusing. Kynarus didn't think it was all that funny but he couldn't help but crack a slight smile.

"Just like with humans, huh?" Klaus asked, "Size differs, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, you could say that," Kynarus replied, realizing he seemed to have fallen right into this conversation. He paused briefly, trying to figure out what had originally compelled him to answer Klaus' questions in the first place.

"Anyway, I've never really liked you turians," Klaus said, his voice changing from the light-hearted tone it had just had to a darker, more serious one, "sure, no turians have actually done anything to me but your kind did kill my parents back in the war. For that I cannot bring myself to trust any of you turians, regardless of who you might be." Klaus paused, thinking about what else he should say. "I must have been only one when it happened. Both of them had been serving on the same ship and the ship itself was destroyed when it was ambushed by a few turian cruisers. No survivors apparently."

Kynarus had the idea that maybe Klaus had been trying to overcome his distrust of turians by talking to one. Now Klaus had reverted back to rambling on about himself and his life, something which he had been doing before they had been dropped onto the surface from the frigate. He seemed to think people actually cared about his life which he made out to be tough, despite the fact that he lived an easy and well-paid life as a career soldier for the Corporation. He was full of himself in other words, a "quality" Kynarus had noticed was quite evident among humans.

Klaus shifted the rifle that was on his lap so the barrel was pointing at Kynarus. The turian didn't take much notice of it, paying more attention to the wicked grin that had appeared on Klaus' face.

"That's why I don't trust you, Kye," Klaus said, "we may share a bit of a conversation here and there but to me you're just another untrustworthy turian. One wrong move when you're in my team and I'll kill you without even batting an eyelid. Is that understood?"

"Sure," Kynarus said without really paying attention, "why do you ask? Do you think I want to get killed?"

"You'll end up that way if you don't follow orders," Klaus said, his voice serious but with a hint of some sort of sadistic pleasure that he probably got at the thought of killing someone, "and you'll also end up that way if you decide to go all John Wayne and try and escape while gunning people down…"

"Who's John Wayne?" Kynarus' curiosity had been piqued but Klaus only looked at the young turian strangely before shaking his head.

"Never mind about who John Wayne is. Just make sure you don't try and stab us all in the back, is that understood?"

Kynarus hadn't been planning on doing such a thing. He would probably not get an opportunity to and besides, even if he did manage to kill the whole team who the hell would he get back onto Dieter's frigate? The frigate itself was in orbit around the planet, they wouldn't come down just to pick him up and let him aboard. No, Kynarus knew he needed to play this out for a while and see where it got him. Another thing Kynarus would have to do when he got the chance was look up who this John Wayne character was.

There was a moment's silence before Klaus spoke again, this time having reverted back to his calm and casual mood. Kynarus figured he wasn't too mentally stable, especially judging from these unpredictable changes of mood but of course the turian wasn't about to say anything to complain about it. Rather he would just have to take whatever Klaus threw at him.

"So, Kye, you don't mind if I ask a question?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Klaus frowned, thinking about this for a few seconds.

"No," he said bluntly, "so, I'll get to my question…" He trailed off briefly, a grin appearing on his features. It was the sort of grin that Kynarus didn't particularly like since it reminded him of Dieter's crazy looking grin. Klaus was almost the same as Dieter personality wise, albeit a bit more on the reckless side.

"Tell me, what do you turians have…'down there'?" Klaus' eyes went to Kynarus' lap briefly and it took the turian a moment to figure out what he meant. When he did he felt a little embarrassed but smiled anyway.

"Why would you want to know?" Kynarus asked, deciding to play along with what Klaus had to say.

"Well, do you have a…you know…?"

The human sitting on Kynarus' right tapped the turian on the shoulder, speaking close to the turian's head as he went to talk. Klaus only frowned but didn't say anything, the order of not talking to the turian having been long forgotten.

"What he's trying to say is 'do you have a dick and how big is it?'" The young human said quite bluntly.

Kynarus didn't think he should give a straight answer, preferring that Klaus would stop asking him questions about turian anatomy. Of course, Klaus was of the unpredictable type and probably wouldn't like it if Kynarus told him to shut up which the young turian really wanted to do. Right now Kynarus only wanted to stay alive and what seemed like an impossible situation. He would be helping Dieter's plan if he succeeded and killed if he didn't.

"It's probably bigger than Klaus'," Kynarus said with a smile. The few humans closest laughed when they heard this while Klaus only remained sitting, an annoyed expression crossing his face.

"Smart ass, I see?" He said, a grin replacing his annoyance. Kynarus only gave the turian equivalent of a smile, seeing that the human was trying to get on his nerves.

"Alright boys, who wants to sing a song?" Klaus said aloud suddenly, the human team members turning their heads while some nodded and murmured positive replies. Kynarus sat with some doubt on his face, trying to figure out what Klaus could possibly want to sing about.

"You all know this anthem but our turian friend here won't," Klaus announced, "so, be sure to sing extra loud for him." Klaus looked at the young turian with a smile, some of the men stamping their feet on the floor of the rover in a simple rhythm.

"This song dates back from the First Contact War, during the attack on Shanxi," Klaus said to Kynarus, "you'll probably love it, no doubt."  
Kynarus had a feeling about what was coming but didn't say anything as Klaus and the men started chanting in irritatingly loud voices. Most of them were out of key and sounded terrible but it was all part of the plan, the plan being to annoy the turian with them as much as possible. Kynarus sat listening, curious to hear what the anthem was about but he already a good feeling it was something racist.

"_I don't wanna go out on night patrol…I wanna stay here in my hole…If I go out in the long tall grass those lizard faced bastards will have my ass!"_

Kynarus immediately realized what the "lizard faced bastards" the anthem was referring to actually were. He didn't say anything though, instead he sat back and tried doing his best to ignore the annoying singing and yelling humans seated around him. He could tell Klaus was enjoying himself from the smile on the human's face.

When the anthem finally did finish Kynarus seized the chance to take a nap. If he was asleep then there was less chance of Klaus bothering him with more annoying questions and hopefully, when he awoke, it would be time to get out of the stuffy interior of the rover and outside onto Mars' surface. It took some time for Kynarus to actually fall asleep though, the young turian closing his eyes and sitting back for about ten minutes before he was finally asleep. The interior of the rover had fallen silent with the end of the anthem, making it much easier to drift off into sleep.

Kynarus ended up dreaming of Katherine and not for the first time either. He knew he would have to rescue her sooner or later but he also knew he would have to ride out this whole Mars mission, seizing the opportunity to find her when he was back on Dieter's frigate. At the moment though he was stuck on Mars in the company of annoying humans until further notice.

* * *

"Wake up sleeping beauty."

Kynarus was jolted from sleep by a hand on his shoulder that shook him around a little. Brought out of his slumber Kynarus found himself looking straight into Klaus Mueller's face, seeing that the human was grinning as usual.

"What?" Kynarus was barely aware of his surroundings, only just remembering where he was. He could see that some of the other team members were putting on their helmets, their suits hissing as they sealed their interior environment off from the exterior one.

Klaus sat back in his seat, taking up his rifle in one hand and his helmet in the other. The rover, having travelled at a fairly fast speed and having bounced along the Martian terrain for most of the journey was now travelling at a slow and steady speed. Kynarus knew this meant they were nearing their destination and realized that was why Klaus had woken him up.

"Get your gear on, Kye," Klaus said simply, using his right hand to place the helmet over his head. The helmet itself had the same black design as the rest of the armour, its visor a thick and almost completely reflective when the polarity was increased. The visor itself adapted to changes in light to help protect its uses and right now, because of the little interior light inside the rover, it was almost perfectly see through. Kynarus could see Klaus' face quite well in the dim light and figured he would be better off doing the same.

Kynarus slipped on his suit's gloves, making sure they clicked and sealed into place at the sleeves. The young turian picked up his helmet which had been lying at his feet on the floor, placing it over his head and finding his vision briefly obscured before the visor itself was in front of his eyes. His helmet was understandably suited for his turian body shape, the helmet having plenty of rooms for the horns that went over the top of his head. He didn't have a full-face visor; rather he had a small view-port for his eyes that only partially blocked out the corners of his vision.

The inside environment of his suit sealed and he found his breathing had suddenly been amplified. Outside noises had become somewhat muffled but he was sure he would get used to it soon enough. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest, his senses on edge as he realized what was coming. The mission was starting proper and that would mean crossing the surface of a barren planet with an unbreathable atmosphere. This was one thing Kynarus had a fear of, his mind always addled with thoughts about how his suit might malfunction or how his visor might break. He knew there was little chance of this happening but the fears were still there and would always be at the back of his mind, causing unnecessary fear and anxiety.

_Calm down, things will be fine._ He tried to calm himself down, taking deep breaths and able to hear them quite well inside the near claustrophobic interior of his helmet. He could see the humans seated around them and now fully suited up were as right as rain, not at all showing their fears if they actually had any. Kynarus probably looked like a nervous wreck to them but if they had noticed none had said anything.

Klaus knocked on the door that went into the rover's cockpit, signalling the driver beyond that it was safe to open the rear ramp. There was a few seconds silence before the ramp at the far end of the passenger seconds clicked and whirred as its mechanism started working. It slowly unfolded forth, sunlight streaming into the inside of the rover and causing the visors of the armoured humans and a single turian inside to darken.

It took Kynarus' eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden light, his visor darkening seconds later. Through the now open ramp he could see the red-orange surface of the planet, the rover appearing to have been parked on a ridge overlooking some sort of valley. The view wasn't good from inside the rover and Kynarus knew he would be seeing it better soon enough.

Klaus was the first to stand up, signalling the rest of his team to get moving. Kynarus could still feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, knowing full well that any trace of breathable atmosphere outside of his suit had been expelled outside and lost. Now the only thing between him and a nearly full atmosphere of carbon dioxide was his kinetic shields and his thick, bulky armour. He only felt moderately safe, the fear of a broken visor or suit malfunction still very fresh in his mind.

The suited-up Corporation soldiers stood and departed the rover, stepping outside into the sunlight and onto the red planet. Kynarus was the last out, tagging along behind the group and taking a moment to take in the view they had from atop the ridge.

The ground was a dark orange with traces of red, depending on the amount of light shining on it. Rocks of varying sizes littered the valley before them and sheer cliff faces were on all but two sides. Jagged, rocky outcrops were common and all around them. Standing atop the short ridge, Kynarus could make out the shapes of hills and mountains on the horizon. The whole vista around them was one of barren plains, gorges, hills and mountains and almost all of it was a dark orange.

The ground crunched underfoot, this area being covered with plenty of small rocks compared to the sandy desert-type ground Kynarus could see on the plains rolling out in an easterly direction. Looking up the young turian could see that the sun was high in the sky, probably being about noon local time judging by the sun's height and distance covered. The sky itself was a dull purple-blue and was almost cloudless. All in all it seemed a very barren planet and Kynarus could see why there weren't many humans here save for a single colony, a prison and some scientific research outposts.

"Quit admiring the view," Klaus said suddenly, having stopped at the edge of the ridge and looking down at the rocky valley below. He had been referring to the team in general, Kynarus having thought for a second that Klaus might have just been telling him off. Stepping towards the edge of the ridge Kynarus looked down, noticing the many jagged rocks below that would spell certain death for anyone stupid enough to jump down or unlucky enough to fall.

Klaus toed a fist-sized rock with the tip of his right boot, gently nudging it and sending it falling to the rocky ground below. He watched it as it fell before looking up again and out across the valley and surrounding plains.

"What a shithole," he said bluntly, glancing over at Kynarus whom he noticed was standing only a few metres to his right. The young turian was looking down at the possible death-drop with noticeable uncertainty, keeping his distance from the edge.

"What's the matter, Kye? Afraid of heights?" Klaus asked.

Kynarus glanced at the human, stepping back from the edge and turning towards him. He regarded the human briefly, his expression impossible to tell because of the helmet. Only his blue eyes were visible through the eye-level slit of a visor and they did contain a fear that made Klaus feel a little satisfaction.

"Not really," Kynarus said, "I just hate heights when they're the type that can kill you." He was telling the truth, having encountered such precarious positions before and having gotten through them fine. This time around a fall down there would at the very least cripple someone and such a thing wouldn't be too good on a planet which didn't even have a breathable atmosphere.

Kynarus kept his assault rifle gripped firmly in his right hand, looking at the other team members and seeing that they were also admiring the view. There was indeed a strange beauty about the orange-red landscape which may explain why humans had been so fascinated with the planet before their star-faring days. Kynarus had never been on a planet that had a mostly red landscape, usually preferring planets that had breathable atmospheres and colonies of some sort.

"We've got a bit of a walk to the guard post," Klaus said, starting along the edge of the ridge, "so everybody is to stay in a scattered group formation." He had begun walking down the other side of the ridge which was a much easier slope and went into a series of winding natural passages. The rest of the team started following, Kynarus staying at the rear and being sure to take in the environment around him.

His heart-rate had since returned to normal, the fears that had been at the back of his mind now long gone. He felt relatively safe now, seeing that the environment of the planet itself wasn't especially harsh. He had no idea how far they would have to walk but he didn't care, he was used to walking long distances. This had come from his military years, especially during his training where twenty kilometres marches had been quite common.

His mind wandered to all the things that had happened since he had first accepted the assignment from Colonel Sommers. Of all places he hadn't expected to end up here on Mars, a planet in the human's local system. He hadn't expected to be forced to become part of Dieter's plans but then again it had been the sort of thing that was almost impossible to expect. He knew he would have to be careful during his time here, especially when with these humans.

He had no idea what the prison would be like. There was no sign of it anywhere, just more of the dark orange landscape and more rocks. It wasn't any wonder that the humans would put a prison way out here in a place like this, seeing as there was no one else around. It was one of the most backwater-esque places Kynarus had been and would most likely remain that way for some time to come.

Klaus, at the front of the group and leading them along, was holding some sort of device with a holographic screen. It turned out to be some sort of map from what Kynarus could see, thus proving that Klaus did have some idea of where they were headed. They continued through these winding passages for about ten minutes before the passage opened up into a rocky, slightly rising plain. Hills were further in the distance and if Kynarus wasn't mistaken he saw a metallic glint amongst the rocky hills, coming from some square looking shape. Kynarus and the team were way too far away to actually be able to make out what it was but the young turian figured that it might have been the guard post or at the very least some sort of communications dish or power generator.

Klaus didn't seem to notice it, instead trudging along the mostly open ground as the team followed. He held up a hand suddenly, signalling the rest of the team to stop behind him as his gaze scanned the horizon ahead. He fiddled for a brief moment with his helmet and seemed to look in the direction of the distant metallic object for about a minute. Kynarus realized a holographic heads-up display had appeared across the inside of his visor, zooming in on the distant object and displaying all sorts of information.

Kynarus fiddled with the few pressure sensitive buttons on the neck of his helmet. He did manage to get some sort of HUD to appear which displayed information such as what was in the air at the time and his elevation. He switched it off though, finding it to be more of an annoyance than anything else. However, he was suitably surprised about the fact these armour suits had their own in-built holographic displays seeing as only the most elite military groups received such commodities. The Zahni Corporation, being the type of corporation that researched in weapons development, understandably had access to such technology. They obviously had access to their own private army as well.

"I can see the guard post," Klaus said through his helmet's radio, his voice coming into Kynarus' helmet as a rather clear but static-edged voice, "on our approach we'll try and cut around its right flank." The human switched off his helmet's HUD and gave the signal to start moving, the group beginning along the sloping rocky plains again. Kynarus remained at the rear, looking around the barren landscape with some fascination. He had never been in such a place before, especially one as different as this.

Kynarus was comfortable inside his armour suit, save for the tightness at his waist and backside. The climate control systems inside his armour kept him at a comfortable and normal temperature, one that was quite different to the freezing temperatures of Mars. The sand at Kynarus' feet billowed a little in a slight breeze that picked up across the plains, kicking up dust clouds further ahead.

Kynarus could see that some of the human team members were walking together; talking quietly about anything that came to mind seeing as they're wasn't anything better to do. Kynarus made sure to keep some distance behind the main group, having been told earlier by Klaus that he was to be the "rear guard" for the team as they made their way across the Martian landscape. The young turian was happy enough with the position, having no problem with tagging along at the rear. Here no one would bother talking to him and he could try and formulate some sort of plan to escape the situation he was in.

So far he had figured he would have to breakout Schraeder and get back onto Dieter's frigate. From there he would need to resort to the tried-and-true method of starting trouble, having to make sure Katherine didn't come to any harm. He didn't have much of a plan in his head now but he did know he would have to start thinking up one; otherwise he would end up working for Dieter on a permanent basis. Sure, he may be safe from Cerberus but he really didn't want to work for the very man that had tried to kill him so many times in the past.

The thought occurred to Kynarus that maybe Dieter had sent him on this mission to simply get duped by Klaus and his team. According to what he had heard he would be taking the sole blame for organizing the breakout which would place him on the Citadel space's "most wanted" list. Dieter and his goons would get away scott-free, something which annoyed the young turian but he knew he could do little about it. He had no idea how he would get out of the trouble he was in and the massive trouble he would get in once this mission was over, if he survived it.

Kynarus had that feeling at the back of his mind that maybe something would go unexpectedly wrong. It was his bad luck that often his assignments went awry and they had done so many times in the past. Maybe something Dieter hadn't foreseen would come up. After all, even the best laid plans could go awfully wrong.

For another half hour the team continued across the rolling, rocky plains before finally arriving at the once distant hills. The metal object in question was in clear view now, appearing as a sort of partially buried bunker with a door in its side and a tinted view-port at the front. Klaus was intelligent enough to keep his team away from the view-port's field of view, leading his team as well as Kynarus around the right flank and to the very edge of the cleared ground that went for about twenty metres around the bunker. A pair of MCA officers suited up in light combat suits and sealed helmets were patrolling outside the bunker, looking awfully bored from the slow and detached way they were walking. The pair seemed to be talking to each other, stuck with nothing better to do than to stand in the Martian sun all day and guard the guard post.

The team scattered along the naturally made ditch that went along the right approach to the bunker, every member of the group lying prone and out of sight as the pair of MCA guards walked past. Kynarus lay with his assault rifle raised; he knew full well that if he ended up killing any officers from the Mars Colonial Authority then the law enforcers would just have more of a reason to track him down. After all, he would be a "cop killer". The rest of the team had their weapons at the ready while Klaus lay in the dirt, scanning the vicinity for any extra targets but finding none.

He turned to the team's marksman, the young human with the sniper rifle who was currently lying on Kynarus' left. Klaus gestured to the two bored, patrolling MCA guards and then shifted his gaze back to the marksman.

"Get into a good position and tell me when you're ready to fire so you can take out both guards," Klaus said, the marksman nodding in acknowledgment. Klaus shifted his gaze to Kynarus, pointing to the marksman who was now crouched and moving around to somewhere of a higher vantage point.

"Kye, you go with him and keep him covered," Klaus said, "don't try any funny stuff."  
Kynarus nodded and began following the marksman, staying low and out of sight of the two patrolling guards. He followed the marksman up the nearby hill, watching as the marksman found a partially hidden position overlooking the bunker and the guards below. Klaus and the rest of the team were still lying where they were, awaiting the marksman's first shots before assaulting the guard post. Surprise would have to be essential here since the guards inside, if they caught wind of anything, could easily raise the alarms and alert the entire MCA contingent at the prison. Something like that would indeed send the plan into an awry state.

The marksman went prone, flicking his sniper rifle's bipod into place so that it rested stably on the rocks in front of him. Kynarus kept watch at the rear, making sure no one came up behind the marksman and compromised their position. His years of being in the turian military had given him experience with this kind of squad work, many of these memories having long been forgotten during his career as a mercenary. When it came to a situation like this Kynarus usually went in all guns blazing, hoping to score a victory. He always did but since he was more or less under command of Klaus he couldn't exactly do that without Klaus himself shooting him.

"Are you in position?" Klaus' voice filtered through the helmet's in-built radios, the human having taken on a serious business-like tone. The marksman replied positively, acknowledging Klaus' question.

"Yeah, I'm ready," the marksman replied simply. He peered through his sniper rifle's scope and took aim at one of the patrolling guards, slowing his breathing down considerably as he began to concentrate on the target.

Kynarus turned around to watch the scene unfold, occasionally glancing at their rear approach in case anyone was coming up behind them. No one was and no one would be the look of it, allowing Kynarus to pay more attention to the bunker and the guards below as well as the marksman's eventual action.

"Fire at will," Klaus said.

The Martian landscape was quite bright in the sun, Kynarus' visor having to darken to help reduce the glare. The shot that erupted forth from the marksman's sniper rifle was barely seen in the glare of the sunlight upon the landscape and barely made a sound, the in-built suppressors doing their job of silencing the shot. Kynarus watched with some morbid curiosity as the head on one of the guard's exploded partially, the shot having ripped right through his light armour's shields. Seconds later his body was reduced to nothing but a dark smudge, being reduced to his component atoms in some sort of red haze thanks to the incendiary rounds. The guard's dusty remains fell to the ground and the one he had been walking with stopped and did a double take on the corpse, reaching for the assault rifle clipped to his back but receiving a sniper shot in the face for his troubles.

Immediately Klaus and the rest of the team were up and racing towards the bunker. He heard Klaus' voice over the radio, telling the young turian to get back down to the bunker and leave the marksman. Kynarus didn't reply, he simply stood up and raced towards the door in the side of the metal bunker which Klaus was standing at, fiddling with the panel by the side of the door while a few of the squad members watched with some amusement. Klaus banged a fist against the panel angrily, swearing under his breath in his native language before looking up at Kynarus as he approached.

"You have the breaching charges, don't you?" Klaus asked, referring to the charges Kynarus had received prior to boarding the rover, "put one on the door and blow it down. We haven't got all day."

Kynarus, remembering that he was actually carrying the charges, removed one from where it was clipped to his waist and attached it to the lock on the door. Klaus and the squad members went to a safe distance, Kynarus standing around the wall of the bunker before detonating the charge. The charge itself wasn't filled with standard explosives; those would have been far too noisy. Rather, the charge detonated into a spray of caustic chemicals just like the ones featured in "Inferno rounds" ammunition upgrades. They chemicals easily melted through the door, causing an air leak and inclining Klaus to rush up to the sizzling door and kick it down. Kynarus followed him inside, assault rifle raised as he went.

Behind it was the airlock but the door here wasn't locked, sliding open and allowing a sudden rush of air to hit Klaus and Kynarus in the face. There were only two rooms to the guard post, the first one being a room with several important computers in it, some of which received readings from the sensor grid that went for miles around the prison. The other room was the small barracks built solely for the guards stationed here, two of which were now dead and the other two were inside the bunker's main room, only just standing up as their air supply billowed out through the open airlock and outside into Mars' harsher atmosphere.

These two guards were going for their helmets but Klaus had already opened fire upon stepping into the guard post. The first of the soldiers fell under the volley of assault rifle fire, the other bringing his pistol up and about to return fire. Kynarus instinctively raised his assault rifle and pulled the trigger, the rifle bucking back slightly against his shoulder. The other guard fell, his kinetic shields failing under the fire and his body spinning slightly from the force of the shots. Once he was down Klaus stepped over to the large set of computers and panels by the view-port and began to fiddle with them, keying in specific buttons.

Kynarus stood watching for a few minutes, noticing how a few of the panels switched off as Klaus managed to hack into the computers here. It didn't look too difficult but he doubted that the MCA had expected a hostile force to try and raid a prison on this planet and thus security systems on the outside were fairly lax. There was a harsh beeping sound from one of the panels, the words "WARNING: SENSOR GRID SHUT DOWN" appearing on the main computer. Klaus stepped back from his handiwork with a satisfied grin before unexpectedly raising his rifle and firing into the mass of panels and computers, sparks flying and glass spraying everywhere as the panels sizzled and exploded. Kynarus only watched with some surprise as this happened, able to hear Klaus chuckling madly as he did so.

"It should take them a while before they figure out what happened here, especially when their alarms at the far side of the prison go off in about ten seconds," Klaus said, lowering his rifle and starting on his way out of the guard post. He noticed Kynarus' uncertain expression, only pushing the turian aside as he walked past while grinning.

"Keep your helmet on, Kye," Klaus said as he went, "otherwise you'll go outside and your head will explode."

Klaus begin laughing loudly again, Kynarus with no other option but to follow the human outside. He could tell that Klaus wasn't in his right mind and probably hadn't been for quite a while. Kynarus knew that he would be stuck with the human for some time to come though, especially through this breakout operation. The next part involved getting inside the prison, something which Kynarus had a feeling wouldn't be going all to plan.


	22. Breakout

**Location: **Somewhere on Mars, fourth planet from the Sun, Sol system

Half an hour of trekking from the guard post and across the uneven, rocky landscape of Mars could get a little tiring. Kynarus Vakarian, outfitted in the black armour and helmet that he had been given before disembarking with Klaus' team into the rover, was feeling only a little tired as they trudged their way up a hill. Today had been one thing after another and just continued to get interesting, Kynarus and the humans having successfully neutralized the guard post and disable the sensor grid that went on for a few miles around the outside of the maximum security prison. The sensors, small black metal things that were only partially buried in the orange sands were lined up at regular intervals throughout the uneven terrain and would have usually sounded an alarm or at the very least gotten the attention of a nearby patrol. With the sensor grid disabled for now those alarms wouldn't sound and the MCA officers at the prison would be too busy investigating the alarms that had been triggered at the far side of the prison to notice.

Kynarus had been tagging along behind the group of corporation soldiers, Klaus in the lead as usual and constantly referring to the small datapad map he held in his left hand. The rest of the team was following in a sort of scattered formation, occasionally looking around but more intent on getting to where they were going. Trudging throughout some orange-red landscape that only had rocks and hills on offer as scenic options could get painfully monotonous and so a change of scenery was something most of the men wanted. Kynarus, originally fascinated by the planet and its reddish barren appearance had now grown tired of the scenery but did find the trek to be a bit of a challenge. The sands under his feet made walking up slopes a little more difficult than usual but the slightly lower gravity had made movement a little easier.

The red-orange sands had begun to remind Kynarus of something else. He felt like a shot of that red sand he had first had back at the Citadel but knew he wouldn't be getting any here, unless he took his helmet off and started snorting the dirt. He wouldn't survive long if he did that though and realized it was a stupid thing to be thinking about anyway. He tried getting his mind off of the urges of illicit substances but was finding it quite difficult, that realization occurring in him once again that he was becoming an addict.

Kynarus, during his thoughts, had completely become oblivious to the small details of his surroundings and almost tripped over one of the small black sensors. He balanced himself on a nearby boulder, the thought occurring to him briefly that perhaps that sensor would activate or at the very least a red light would appear on the panels that kept watch on the grid back at the prison. He certainly hoped this wasn't the case, looking towards the rest of the team and seeing that they were completely oblivious to the little incident and were gradually getting further and further away from him. Kynarus regained his footing and started walking at a brisker pace in order to catch up, the team having started making their way up a steep hill.

The lighter gravity of Mars allowed for easier and bigger steps to be taken but the climb up the hill was somewhat difficult anyway, the dark orange sand merely falling away whenever they went to take a step. Progress was slow up the hill and it was about five minutes before the whole team, including Kynarus, had made their way to the plateau at the top. What was beyond it had been worth the effort though since it meant they were one step closer to their goal.

Kynarus, climbing onto the almost flat plateau-type summit of the hill and fairly glad he was finally on proper solid and flat ground again, noticed that the other team members were looking across the summit and the view that was beyond. Kynarus, taking a hint, stood up and looked across the panoramic view as well.

He was somewhat relieved by what he saw. The prison, a big hulking structure nestled at the foot of a tall mesa and walled at one side by a narrow gorge, was the main noticeable thing that constituted the view. The prison was a grungy metallic grey, a large tinted glass dome at its centre which was most likely some type of courtyard sealed from the harsh atmosphere of the planet. The prison itself was large but still some distance away, the terrain around it being rough and rocky. A narrow dirt road wound its way across the plains from an easterly direction, ending at a cleared area around the prison's main entrance. The main entrance itself was a large, bulkhead door and from this distance Kynarus could make out the guard house outside of it and the four or five guards standing by it.

The prison was standard human architecture, large and imposing and giving the appearance of an impregnable fortress. It certainly looked to be a tough structure and definitely not the kind of place Kynarus would have usually raided if he had the choice. Right now though he didn't have a choice but he did have some humans as backup, even if they probably didn't care much about him. If Kynarus died on this mission Dieter wouldn't particularly care and nor would any of the other corporation people. The young turian knew he would have to stay alive no matter what happened, a renewed confidence in his situation flowing through him. Even in the face of a seemingly impregnable fortress he could make himself feel a little better now that he knew what he would be up against.

Klaus took one look at the prison, scanning the terrain around it and pointing to somewhere closer and near the edge of the plateau. Turning in that direction Kynarus could just see the distant shape of a sort of metal door amongst some rocky passages, the door itself looking to be unguarded. This must have been the maintenance access way that had been mentioned in the plan, partially hidden amongst the rocky terrain but still quite visible from the right angle. This was obviously the way in that they would be taking, bypassing the prison's main exterior defences.

"That's the tunnel entrance right there," Klaus announced through their helmet's in-built radios, "on the way try not to shoot at any patrols you see unless they shoot at us. We want to keep a low profile otherwise we'll get overwhelmed by their superior numbers if they alert the prison."

Kynarus knew that keeping the element of surprise would be essential in this part of the mission. It would be easy for the whole contingent of officers from the Mars Colonial Authority that were stationed at the prison to hold off the intruding squad of thirteen, including twelve humans and one turian. From what Kynarus could see from up here they're didn't appear to be much in the way of patrols but they could be easily obscured from view by the jagged rocks and steep ditches.

Klaus was the first one to start down the sloping edge of the plateau, followed by the rest of the team while Kynarus remained tagging along at some distance from the rear. Going down the slope was fairly easy but still a little dangerous, one wrong move spelling a rather painful tumble down the rest of the slope. Luckily (or unluckily for Kynarus) none of the humans fell, the young turian following them from behind as they made their way into the narrow rocky passages down below.

From here the team began moving at a slower, stealthier pace. Kynarus followed suit, knowing better than to make them all an obvious target. He was sure to occasionally scan their surroundings for any unwanted movement seeing as the passages made excellent places for ambushes. The going was the same until they reached the door, pausing around the corner that went to it and taking positions amongst boulders to keep watch.

Klaus turned to Kynarus from his partially hidden position behind a set of boulders, signalling the turian to move around and scout out the tunnel entrance. Kynarus obeyed somewhat confidently, already knowing well enough that there were no hostiles guarding the door. Perhaps the alarms triggered in the prison had done their job of drawing away some of the guards from this approach on the prison.

Kynarus edged his way around the corner, assault rifle raised as he went. He kept it held at a ready-to-fire position, half-expecting the tunnel's entrance door to slide open and allow several guards to storm out. Surprisingly none did and so Kynarus casually approached the door, Klaus and the rest of the team following when they saw it was safe.

Kynarus lowered his rifle, standing around the side of the doorway where the panel was while the other team members took position a short distance from the doorway with their weapons raised. Klaus approached the panel, brushing past Kynarus in an intimidating fashion which did little to annoy the young turian anyway.

Klaus began his usual routine of fiddling with the panel briefly, keying in buttons and repeating the process until he finally swore under his breath and turned to Kynarus, shaking his head.

"Put a breaching charge on the door," Klaus said, slamming a fist against the metal bulkhead which only thumped loudly, "the damn thing's got one fucking hard lock on it."  
Kynarus was hesitant to do this at first but didn't show this hesitation to Klaus. His instincts were telling him that something was wrong, the lack of guards being one and the lack of patrols being another. It all seemed too easy just burning a hole through the door and walking inside, as if the whole thing had been conveniently laid out before the team for them to play along with. He glanced at the annoyed Klaus, the human shooting him an impatient look which told him that he was more intent on getting through the door than anything else. Maybe he didn't notice the suspicious hints of the situation or he didn't care. He seemed the type who would rather play along with the easy way rather than actually stop and think for a moment and try and figure out a much less obvious way.

Kynarus glanced at the other human team members. None seemed to be feeling the same as he did about this all, concentrating on whatever they had been ordered to do. Some were watching the rear approach while others had their weapons fixed on the metal bulkhead door, ready to fire at anyone who was behind it the instant it opened.

_May as well just go through the front door,_ Kynarus thought with only slight amusement. He removed one of the breaching charges which were strapped to the waist of his armour, carefully placing it at the central lock at one side of the door and setting it to go off in about ten seconds. He moved to a safe position, watching as the breaching charge melted away silently, the caustic chemicals inside sizzling through the door and melting a rather large chunk out of it. Through the hole that had been created was nothing but darkness but the human team members kept their weapons trained at the door anyway, the tension having suddenly built-up within the few seconds after the charge had "detonated".

Kynarus stood watching carefully, noticing that everyone had gone silent and that the only audible noises were that of the slight breeze blowing across the plains as it whistled in between rocks and rattled the sands. The door slowly began to slide open as Klaus fiddled with the panel, revealing a dark and dimly lit tunnel behind it. The sunlight that found its way inside did little to help illuminate the interior.

Seconds later the most painful, head-splitting and eardrum rupturing high-pitched electronic shriek sounded throughout Kynarus' helmet radio. He fell onto his knees, shouting in agony and clutching at his helmet as it filled all of his known senses, seeming to take complete control of his mind as it split its way through his brain. He could see the same was happening to the other squad members, some having dropped their weapons while others writhed about on the ground.

Kynarus only wanted it to stop, finding that the shriek seemed to go on forever. It sent his senses into a dizzying spin, even after it had finished about ten seconds later. He struggled to rise to his fete, disoriented and with an annoying ringing intruding upon his hearing. He could see Klaus had stood, simply shaking off the shriek while some of the other squad members were gradually recovering.

That was when the voice broke in through their helmet radios, Kynarus recognizing it and feeling his blood run cold when he did. The last voice he had wanted to hear right now had been this one but it was happening and it definitely meant that something was wrong.

"_Hello, Corporation assholes. This is Colonel Tiberius Sommers speaking. Some of you may know who I am and who I represent, but for those of you that don't I am the man in charge of the elite units of Cerberus. My boss told me about the little scheme you were planning and decided I do something about it, so I have._

"_You will find that every MCA officer inside that prison knows about you, your team and the main objective of your mission. You will find that they are prepared and will easily outnumber and outgun your pathetic team of boy scouts. You men are officially fucked, if you don't mind me saying. Even if you somehow make it into the prison you will easily be hunted and killed, like hunters going after a pack of wild dogs. If you give up now perhaps you won't get hurt but somehow I doubt the MCA likes it when people decide to kill some of their officers. Anyway, good luck to you all of you pricks. Colonel Sommers out."_

Kynarus was up on his feet at the end of the Colonel's speech. He was surprised to hear the man's voice after all this time, having found out earlier that the Colonel had been working for Cerberus. One thing that he hadn't needed to hear now was the Colonel's voice and thus he immediately assumed that the whole breakout operation had been put in jeopardy. He had assumed correctly, especially after what happened next.

The lights inside the dark maintenance tunnel switched on, revealing a dank concrete interior that had seen better days. Pipes and cables lined the ceiling while a few pipes dripped water, having formed large puddles over time on the concrete floor. Only about five metres into the tunnel itself were two ceiling turrets, both of which swivelled their guns in the direction of the group of stunned humans and opened fire.

Many of the squad members had still been recovering from the high frequency shriek that had stunned them and weren't ready to respond to the automated turrets that fired on them. Kynarus dived out of the way of the turrets and behind the side of the doorway, Klaus doing the same and landing in the dirt next to the young turian. The pair were able to watch as several of the squad members were hit by the high velocity shredder rounds, their kinetic shields failing under the harsh fire which in turn allowed rounds through and into their armour. Limbs were severed and blood was sprayed onto the orange-red sand as the pair of turrets continued firing, mowing down about eight of the squad members and leaving them as mutilated corpses in the sand. Three of the human squad members managed to get to cover, attempting to return fire but getting pinned down by the motion sensitive turrets.

Klaus was looking awfully annoyed now and simply picked up a fist sized rock from the ground near him. Throwing it across the doorway the pair of turrets swivelled their barrels in the direction of the rock during its airborne period and fired, the high powered rounds smashing the rock into much smaller fragments. The few seconds during which the turrets were concentrating on the rock were all the seconds Klaus needed to pull out and arm a grenade disc, flinging it through the air and around the side of the doorway. It attached itself to one of the turrets, beeping faintly for a few seconds before detonating.

The first turret was completely blown apart, metal pieces littering the floor of the tunnel as the turret went up in a cloud of smoke and fire. The second turret was knocked off of its hinges, landing on the floor of the tunnel just as its internal alarm systems engaged. A loud, continuous beeping noise erupted room inside the turret as it went berserk and began firing wildly, spraying the walls and ceiling with bullets and busting open a few pipes in the process. Sparks shot out of the broken pipes and geysers of cool steam shot out of others, the turret ceasing in its wildfire a few seconds later. The whole area in turn went silent save for the hissing sound of the steam as it shot out of the pipes.

Kynarus slowly got back onto his feet, seeing that Klaus was already inside the tunnel and making his way through the clouds of white steam. The other three remaining squad members came out of cover and hesitantly followed Klaus inside, Kynarus tagging along at the rear as usual.

Over half of their team had just been slaughtered by a carefully laid Cerberus and MCA trap. Kynarus realized that they would indeed have their work cut out for them if they were going to continue with the mission seeing as their plan had been discovered. However, Kynarus didn't have much chance to voice his uncertainties seeing as he was forced to follow the team more for his own good than anything else. If he didn't follow Klaus would kill him but if he did follow the MCA would kill him. It was one of those situations which more or less ended badly either way. Klaus, regardless of these obvious facts, was moving through the tunnel as determined as ever and didn't even look back as he went.

* * *

Kynarus, tired of tagging along from behind, caught up alongside Klaus and grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around and stopping him in his tracks. Klaus simply shot the young turian an annoyed look but didn't bother struggling, looking a little tired himself and taking the chance to have a quick break.

They had stopped at a T-junction in the winding, dank tunnels and Kynarus had no idea which way they would be going. He and the three other squad members had been following Klaus around, through the winding underground tunnels and passing a few locked doors as they went. Klaus obviously knew where he was going and was occasionally referring to the datapad map in his left hand as he went which had obviously been programmed with data concerning the layout of the prison and its tunnels. Surprisingly they were yet to encounter any guards which probably meant they were all waiting at the prison for them.

Klaus eyed Kynarus with some annoyance, trying to figure out why he had stopped him. Kynarus had had enough time to think their whole situation through and had come to the conclusion that if they wanted to all get killed they should just continue into the prison. If they didn't want to get killed they would be better off turning around and leaving while they still had the chance. Klaus was thinking otherwise and Kynarus knew that it would be hard to persuade him but also knew that if he didn't try they would end up getting gunned down inside the prison.

Klaus probably sensed what Kynarus was about to say and was already frowning, disliking the sheer idea of it.

"We have to turn back," Kynarus said, getting straight to the point, "they know we're coming. They already killed most of our team…"

Klaus simply shook his head, obviously not at all favourable towards the idea of turning back. They were close to entering the prison and reaching their goal, why should they have to turn back now? Why should they even listen to the turian anyway?

"Shut up, Kye," Klaus said simply, a hint of agitation creeping into his voice, "no one said you could tell us what to do. You're meant to be at the rear of our formation, remember?"

Kynarus stood his ground, deciding he wouldn't simply give in. Their lives were at stake here, he was sure they could get away with abandoning the mission this time around. The three other squad members simply watched on with some curiosity as the pair began to argue, probably not caring either way or at the very least not game enough to voice their thoughts on the matter.

"You keep trying to tell me what to do," Kynarus said, "but don't you remember what Dieter said? About the two of us being in charge?"

Klaus paused to think about this for a moment although the expression on his face was enough to tell Kynarus he didn't particularly like this idea.

"I'm in charge here, Kye," Klaus replied, "and you can't change that, do you understand?"  
"I understand you want to get us all killed," Kynarus snapped, unable to contain his anger any longer, "I also understand that you're crazy. What I don't understand is how you want to run this squad. Aren't squad leaders supposed to do what's best for their men?"  
"Oh yeah, I'm doing what's best," Klaus said, trying to keep his emotions under control without yelling as Kynarus had done. The anger was noticeable in his voice and Kynarus guessed he was on the verge of exploding.

"What's best is we keep going with this mission and return to Dieter with Schraeder in tow," Klaus said, "because if we don't, Dieter's just going to shoot us on the spot for failing. That includes _you_, Kye. And your human girlfriend."

Kynarus realized this may be true but knew enough that there was a chance that Dieter wouldn't just shoot them. It made far more sense to not waste valuable soldiers in that manner and perhaps Klaus was just wrong, thinking along the old fashioned lines of shooting the soldiers that failed to carry out their mission.

"Are you sure Dieter would do that?" Kynarus said, his voice lowering a little. He calmed himself slightly, knowing that getting angry probably wasn't the best course of action.

"I _know_ he'll do it," Klaus said, "he's got plenty more soldiers like us. We're just the ones he chose for this operation. So, we're either going to get in the prison and find Schraeder or we're going to turn around and leave so Dieter can shoot us. Both ways we'll probably end up dead but I'd prefer to die in a hail of fire than be humiliated by Dieter. Don't you get it?"

Kynarus only nodded but he didn't see why this had to be the case. The whole mission had gone pear-shaped, to use a typical human expression, but Kynarus knew that they didn't need it to end with their deaths. If they were to team up and go against Dieter than maybe they would survive.

"What if we didn't return to Dieter's frigate?" Kynarus asked, "what if we just went on the run for a while?"  
Klaus laughed at the idea, finding it to be more of a desperate idea than a plausible plan.

"Are you kidding? What would be the point? Dieter would just hunt us down, especially you." Klaus pointed a finger at Kynarus, a smile visible through his helmets' visor as he done so.

"He seems to like you Kynarus but that doesn't mean he won't kill you if you let him down. Besides, if we went on the run he would just kill your human girlfriend. Do you want that?"

_No, I don't._ Kynarus certainly didn't want that but it seemed they had very little options to follow up on. They could head to the prison, get killed or they could get back to Dieter's frigate and get killed. If they somehow escaped Mars by some other means they would end up getting chased down and killed or captured. Dieter would also shot Katherine and this was something Kynarus couldn't bear to live with on his conscience. He already had some sort of plan forming in his mind about what he would do once he was back on Dieter's frigate.

Kynarus was still quite determined to get out of this situation somehow. Klaus and the others were looking at him attentively, awaiting his response. Kynarus knew exactly what his response would be and drew his pistol in one fluid motion, pointing it squarely at Klaus' helmeted face. Klaus saw this and drew his, pointing it right into the young turian's face. The pair stood facing each other, pistols pointed at point blank range into the other's face while the three squad members only looked on; unsure of whom they should be pointing their weapons at.

"Shoot the turian," Klaus said to the remaining squad members, "go on, do it! He wants us to go back to the frigate and get ourselves killed by Dieter. Do you want that?"  
The squad members simply stood where they were, weapons raised at the hip while they decided who they should be shooting. Kynarus nodded towards Klaus, deciding to try and pull the same stunt.

"No, shoot Klaus," Kynarus said, "he's the one who wants to take us into the prison so we can all get killed inside there. He's the one you should be worried about, not me."

The squad members only watched the standoff with confused expressions, pointing their rifles at Klaus and then Kynarus, swinging their aims back and forth between the two. Neither Klaus nor Kynarus lowered their weapons, both of them standing their ground in the face of the other. Kynarus could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest as he realized that he and Klaus had reached a point of mutually assured destruction. They couldn't do anything to the other without the other doing something back and so the standoff stayed the way it was while the three remaining squad members looked on with some confuse.

"Damn it, shoot the fucking turian!" Klaus exclaimed, his eyes darting towards the three squad members, "do it or he'll get us all killed!"

"Klaus is the one who's going to get us all killed!" Kynarus exclaimed in response, his eyes narrowing. The three other squad members simply lowered their weapons, one of them shaking their heads and muttering something in a foreign language.

Kynarus realized that Klaus had shifted his concentration off of him for a moment, giving him ample chance to react. Kynarus lowered his pistol, bringing it into Klaus' armoured stomach with considerable force. The armour took the brunt of the blow but the surprise of the strike was enough to make Klaus stumble backwards, Kynarus following his first blow with a kick to the man's groin. The blows were mostly absorbed by the armour but the force of them sent Klaus onto the floor, Kynarus moving over him and pointing his pistol down at the human's head. Klaus quickly recovered and pointed his pistol up at the turian, the pair staring into each other's faces when they realized they were at another standoff.

"Do you want her to die, turian?" Klaus' voice was filled with anger and venom, the human almost hissing the words as he spoke through clenched teeth. He kept his pistol aimed up at Kynarus who returned the favour, pointing his sidearm at the human's helmeted head.

Kynarus knew who he was referring to and only then did he realize the uselessness of their whole situation. He couldn't hope to escape and rescue Katherine; it was almost out of the question. He was screwed whatever he did but he did feel some satisfaction after he had hit Klaus. Now the human was lying on the ground, the two pointing their pistols at each other in a position of mutually assured destruction. The three other human squad members only looked on without doing anything, unsure of who they shot actually be shooting.

"I know you don't want her to die, Kynarus," Klaus said, almost spitting his words through his anger, "so you will play along with this mission if you want to see her alive again. Don't do anything you'll regret…"

Kynarus noticed the hand gripping his pistol had begun to shake. He knew that he would have to play along with this whole breakout mission but part of him didn't want to become a pawn in Dieter's plans. Part of him wanted to kill Klaus and get away from the prison and off of Mars in general. He just wanted this all to end so he and Katherine could go off to somewhere nice and live out the rest of their lives together…

He lowered his pistol and held out his left hand, helping Klaus back onto his feet. He knew what he would do and he knew he would have to play along with the game Dieter had set up for him, playing by the human's rules until such a chance arose that allowed him to twist the game against Dieter. Now wasn't that chance so Kynarus knew he would have to play by the rules, helping Klaus up and receiving a look of contempt from the human.

"Now that that's been cleared up we can get back to work," Dieter said, turning to the three human squad members that were standing nearby. They looked suitably calm now that the argument was over and had composed themselves somewhat, looking towards Klaus for orders. The human squad leader was indecisive at first, pulling out his datapad map while Kynarus stood a few metres behind him, looking down both left and right corners at the junction.

The tunnels down here looked older than the prison itself, probably having once been an underground outpost during the planet's early colonization days. The prison had been built on top of it, probably to save on money and make things a little easier. These dank tunnels and dead ends would make a perfect prison type environment for the less savoury and more dangerous criminals. As the prison expanded Kynarus guessed that its cells would eventually take up these very tunnels. The humans did seem to have a lot of criminals in their race and Mars seemed to be the best dumping ground for them.

Kynarus holstered his pistol, unable to find any signs of life down either way of the junction. The coast certainly looked clear, Klaus having noticed this as well and had begun down the left path of the junction while referring to the datapad map. The three other human squad members followed close behind, Kynarus quelling his uncertainties and following the group at the rear. He kept his assault rifle held in his left hand as he went, making sure to be alert if anything did happen.

The group followed the winding, dank tunnels for another ten minutes and a considerable distance. The tunnels themselves gradually began to be replaced of their damp cement design with a more modern, metal and plastic set-up. This eventually took over from the concrete and puddles of water, the pipes and cables in the ceiling disappearing under recently affixed panels and providing a much refined form of interior design. The group passed a few locked grey metal doors, none of which seemed to interest Klaus in any way whatsoever. The one that did was a much refined looking door with a sign stuck on the wall next to it.

The sign read in the common human language "MAINTENANCE ELEVATOR. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY." Kynarus assumed they were under the prison itself now judging by the change of interior and figured they were close to the nearest MCA guards. The turian placed the grip of his assault rifle in his stronger right hand while supporting it with his left, keeping it low but ready as Klaus briefly fiddled with the panel by the elevator's door. The door slid open, revealing the small yellow maintenance elevator in the shaft behind it.

"This will take us right up into the main levels of the prison," Klaus said, stepping inside. The three other human squad members followed, Kynarus slipping into the elevator last and standing in one corner around the side of the doorway. The door slid shut, Klaus referring to the datapad map in his left hand before pressing a button on the panel inside the elevator.

"We'll be going up to Sub-Level One. From there we can find our way to the Biotics Ward. Since they know we're coming I would expect heavy resistance, so try and take things nice and easy." Klaus was grinning, probably from the thought of finally getting into some frantic combat. Kynarus wasn't too keen but knew it would be necessary once they were up in the corridors of the prison, surrounded by MCA officers and soldiers. It made sense to think that this could very well be the last fight he ever got into.

"Get ready and stay out of the doorway," Klaus said as the elevator started, the humans moving around the side of the doorway and out of view of anyone who may look into the elevator from a direct angle. They had their weapons at the ready, held tightly while they breathed slowly as the elevator started on its way up through the underground sections of the prison. Kynarus could feel his heart thumping heavily in his chest again, the adrenaline beginning to pump through him. He could do with some sort of stimulant right now but he knew there wasn't any chance he would get some unless he found some in a medical bay in the prison.

Less than a minute later the elevator stopped, coming to a halt at a modern looking metal door. On the door the number 01 was painted on it in big yellow letters, Kynarus assuming this was the 'Sub Level One' Klaus had mentioned. The door slowly slid open, revealing a grey metal corridor beyond it that ended a short distance ahead, breaking off at a few points into separate corridors. Kynarus stepped out of the elevator, weapon held at a firing position as he scanned the corridor for any activity. There was none surprisingly, even from the adjoining rooms. A lot of the doors here were locked and were marked as "offices" and probably empty offices at that, hinting that the group was in some sort of office section of the prison.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Kynarus asked, able to faintly hear the wail of alarms in another section of the base, "this doesn't look like a prison section to me."

"Shut up and follow," Klaus said bluntly, shooting an annoyed glance back at the young turian. Kynarus didn't respond, instead he simply followed the group through the corridors as they rounded a corner, passing a sign hung up at the ceiling which pointed in different directions and mentioned what was nearby. The words "OFFICER'S MESS" struck Kynarus as a bit odd since they were heading in that direction.

"Are you sure we're heading the right way?" Kynarus asked, feeling a wave of uncertainty wash through him. Klaus seemed mighty determined to follow the map on the datapad and didn't listen to Kynarus, leading the group straight to a T-junction corridor. Surveillance cameras were at either end of the corridor, Klaus raising his assault rifle and shooting out any cameras that were in sight. Kynarus was slightly surprised by the action since it was the sort of thing that would draw more attention to them. He figured the MCA had officers on the way here now to check out the disturbance.

"We have to get to the Warden's office," Klaus said, "From there we can access his computers and find out where Schraeder is. The quickest route to the Warden's office is right through here."

They had stopped at a set of double doors, the words OFFICER'S MESS printed in large black letters above the door. Kynarus thought with some grain of hope that maybe all of the officers in question were elsewhere, investigating the alarms that had gone off on the far side of the base.

"You never mentioned anything about going to the Warden's office," Kynarus said, glancing at Klaus as he fiddled with the panel by the door. Klaus looked up, frowning.

"I didn't think I needed to," he replied, the door sliding open. Behind it was a large, open room filled with tables and chairs. The ceiling was fairly high and lined with LED lights, a few thick windows on one side indicating that they were on the surface level of the prison. The landscape of Mars was visible through the windows and Kynarus thought that maybe the windows were breakable, perhaps another thing that had suffered from a low prison budget. By now Kynarus and the others had removed their helmets, having clipped them to the backs of their armour suits because they were inside the prison and able to breathe. A single broken window could dispel most of that oxygen in this area though and possibly leave their opponents at a disadvantage.

Seated at a few of the tables were some MCA officers, dressed in the grey orange uniforms that were standard issue to officers of the organization. Many were only wearing armour vests, possibly not part of the contingent organized to defend against the intruding team. Most had turned their heads in the direction of the interlopers and some had already gotten to their feet, reaching for their side-arms.

Kynarus, Klaus and the three other squad members stepped into the mess hall. Kynarus realized they had made a grave mistake coming here seeing that there were about fifteen officers, all armed and all of them not particularly happy at the intrusion. For a moment there was silence, the sounds of chatter within the mess hall quickly dying out as each officer turned to face the intruders, going for their pistols. It took a few seconds before anyone did anything, Kynarus instinctively raising his assault rifle and firing.

The shot echoed throughout the mess hall, one of the toughest looking officers spinning slightly where he stood. Blood sprayed from one part of his chest, the officer falling backwards onto one of the tables and knocking down several lunch trays and their contents, milk spilling and orange juice forming sticky puddles on the floor. Klaus eyed Kynarus carefully, realizing what the turian had just done.

"You idiot," he whispered quietly.

The rest of the officers watched as their buddy fell onto the table, landing in other people's lunches. Within seconds the officers had taken out their pistols, each firing as they scattered and went for cover. Kynarus ducked behind one of the nearby pillars that went to the ceiling, one of the other squad members being hit by at least five pistol rounds before his shields failed. The next five were absorbed by his armour, the human stumbling backwards and preparing to return fire before another bullet blew a large portion of his head away. He fell into a pool of his own blood, the other two squad members standing near him scattering and firing their assault rifles as they did.

Klaus had dived behind one of the tables, reaching along it and pulling it onto its side to form a makeshift barricade. Some of the MCA officers had done the same, firing from around the sides of the barricades in the general direction of the intruders.

Kynarus leaned around the pillar, bringing his assault rifle up as an officer ran through his field of fire. Squeezing the weapon's trigger the officer tumbled forwards from his own momentum, landing on a table and knocking it over. This in turn sent cakes and sandwiches onto the floor, followed by a few glasses of orange juice which spilled onto the officer's corpse. Kynarus had to duck back behind the pillar as several pistol rounds blew chunks of the plaster and stonework away, sending dust into his face which caused him to cough loudly.

_This is just great._ Kynarus watched as another officer fell under Klaus' accurate fire but also saw one of the other corporation squad members fall when a sniper round ripped through his armour and shields. He fell like anyone else, bleeding profusely from a hole blown through his chest.  
Kynarus followed the faint blue shimmer left by the bullet's contrail, spotting an officer at the far end of the mess hall with a sniper rifle. He was taking him again, this time in the turian's direction. A red laser beam sliced through the air and briefly found its way into Kynarus' eyes; he ducked around the pillar as it fired. The bullet blew a large chunk out of the pillar but otherwise Kynarus was left unharmed, although he was still under fire from several of the officers.

Recovering from the temporary impairment of his vision from the red laser beam, Kynarus leaned around the other side of the pillar. A few rounds were absorbed by his kinetic shields which shimmered blue around him but he managed to ignore the impacting bullets long enough to raise his assault rifle and peer through its scope, taking a deep breath and resting his aim on the MCA sniper. It took only a few hits to bring the sniper down, his limp body slumping onto the mess hall's counter and into trays of food.

By now an alarm was ringing out throughout this part of the prison but was yet to bring in any reinforcements. Kynarus ducked backed behind the pillar as several rounds slammed into it, blowing yet more chunks out of it and sending small plumes of dust outwards. He caught a glimpse of another of the two MCA officers falling but as if to even things out one of the human squad members was send falling onto a table, several rounds pumped into his chest under the combined fire.

Kynarus pulled out one of the grenade discs he had been carrying. Seeing as they were outnumbered he figured a grenade would be rather effective, the young turian arming it and leaning around the pillar again. He threw it, the grenade gliding through the air at a quick pace before it attached itself to one of the overturned tables three of the MCA officers were using as a makeshift barricade. They saw the grenade coming but it detonated seconds after it had attached itself to the table, blowing the table apart and sending the three officers flying backwards from the blast.

The momentary confusion it caused was enough for Kynarus to take advantage of, stepping out from behind the pillar seeing as his shields had recharged completely. He raised his assault rifle and started firing, peppering the MCA barricades with bullets and forcing the officers there back behind cover. Klaus and the other human squad member did the same, pressing forwards their advance in the mess hall and moving up to the first line of barricades.

Kynarus approached one of the barricades, the two officers here stepping out from cover and raising their weapons. Kynarus brought the butt of his rifle into the face of the one on his left, knocking the officer down before the other one was upon him. This officer lunged towards the young turian, bringing them him down on the floor and sending Kynarus off-guard momentarily.

The young turian felt the officer grip his assault rifle, pushing it away from him and trying to point it back towards Kynarus. Kynarus fought back, the rifle gripped tightly by both opponents; the officer's sweating and scrunched up features right in front of the turian's face. Kynarus pulled one hand away, using the other to push the officer off of him. The officer fell onto the floor beside him, Kynarus' assault rifle falling from both their grips and sliding along the linoleum floor, ending up far out of reach. While the shooting continued around them Kynarus used his right hand to pull out his pistol, trying to keep his wits about him as moved onto his side and fired into the officer a few times. He tensed briefly before relaxing, a pool of dark red blood slowly forming around the dead officer.

Kynarus rolled to his other side, preferring to stay low and on the floor seeing as there were still several officers in the mess hall. Two had turned their guns towards him, firing and blasting chunks out of the smooth linoleum floor. Kynarus didn't like how their aim was improving, each shot getting closer within the few seconds from when the first one had landed near him. Kynarus raised his pistol and fired twice, both officers falling while the young turian managed a faint grin.

_I still have it!_

Kynarus heard footsteps to his left as he got up, turning around and watching as one of the officers disappeared behind a barricade. Kynarus squeezed the trigger on his pistol and fired a few times at the part of the officer that was still exposed. The rest of the MCA officer soon followed as he slumped onto the floor, most probably dead.

Kynarus looked around and saw that the last of the human squad members save for was lying dead nearby. Klaus was behind one of the barricades, leaning around the side as he fired at the officers that were moving further back through the mess hall. Kynarus did the same, raising his pistol and stepping forwards as he fired. The officers were on the back-foot now, finding cover at the other side of the mess hall while trying to call for backup. Kynarus kept firing in their general direction, forcing them behind cover amongst the overturned tables and chairs. Klaus followed suit, seeing that the two of them were succeeding in turning the tables against the superior number of officers.

There were now about five of the officers left, some of which were only occasionally firing around their barricades. Kynarus pulled out another grenade disc, throwing it and watching with some slight satisfaction as it landed on the floor between two of the barricades. A volley of weapons fire forced Kynarus to duck behind a table but the weapons fire was abruptly silenced, a few of the officers being thrown over their barricades when the grenade went off.

The room fell seconds later silent save for the sound of alarms wailing in some distant part of the prison. Kynarus slowly stood back up, looking around the messed up mess hall at the spilled drinks, overturned tables, flipped-over chairs and motionless corpses.

_I'm probably on the galaxy's "most wanted" list by now_. He glanced over at Klaus who simply stopped alongside him, a large smile on the human's face as he surveyed their handiwork and saw Kynarus' somewhat indifferent face.

"You're one cold-blooded killer, Kye," Klaus said, almost as if it was a compliment. Kynarus didn't reply although he did know it was true. He realized that he was no better than Dieter and his goons who killed without mercy or remorse. He realized that he was no better than the Cerberus goons that had been after him and who had gunned down innocent bystanders on Talerian without any second thought.

"Enough gawping, let's get the fuck over to the Warden's office," Klaus said, starting for the door ahead. Kynarus simply looked around the room again at the handiwork he had helped to create. He knew he had had no choice but to kill if only so that he wouldn't be killed but it didn't feel especially right this time around. These were law officers he had just helped eliminate, not Zahni Corporation goons or Cerberus commandoes.

_I'm no better than Klaus, or Dieter._

Klaus approached the door ahead which opened as he approached, turning around and looking back at Kynarus with some bemusement.

"Are you coming or not?"

Kynarus snapped himself out of his thoughts, taking a few deep breaths and telling himself it was all for the greater good. He would get back at Dieter one way or another; he just had to resort to their level to do it. He was a mercenary after all, he knew he shouldn't be feeling guilt over all of it but he was. This was not a good sign. Perhaps, since he had become involved with Katherine this had softened him up a little seeing as he now had someone he genuinely cared about.

"Damn it Kye, keep standing there and I'll just have to shoot you for disobeying orders," Klaus said. Kynarus looked towards him, not bothering to survey their handiwork in the mess hall again as he started towards Klaus. They were off to the Warden's office after all although Kynarus was extremely doubtful they would get through this whole operation alive. It was just the two of them now against the whole Mars Colonial Authority. Usually such overwhelming odds would excite Kynarus but this time they left a sense of fear in him.

_I'll never see Katherine again._


	23. Schraeder

**Location: **Mars Colonial Authority Maximum Security Prison, Amazonis region, Mars

The sound of distant gunfire and alarm sirens had been going on for quite some time which definitely meant that there was more going on at the prison now than just a pair of armed intruders. Scattered bouts of weapons fire and shouting were carrying through the corridors from the lower levels and the occasional explosion could be heard, reverberating throughout the halls of the prison.

So far Kynarus had been following Klaus through winding corridors, passing several offices which meant they were in the administrative sections of the prison. At least, Kynarus figured as much and so just let Klaus lead him along seeing as the human had access to the datapad map. He probably knew where he was going; he had just decided to take them both straight into the office's mess earlier as a "shortcut". Instead they had been forced to gun down several MCA offices and ensure a place on the "most wanted" list of the Human Systems Alliance. Klaus would probably get help from Dieter into getting less heat but Kynarus, being the one the Corporation intended to take the blame for the whole breakout operation, wouldn't be getting off so easily. This mostly annoyed the young turian but he knew there was no way out of it at the moment, knowing he would have to see the whole operation through if he wanted a chance to worm his way out of it and rescue Katherine.

Kynarus followed Klaus from a few metres behind, holding a pistol in his right hand as he walked along. These particular corridors were winding around the central courtyard, a few bullet-proof windows providing some view of what was happening down in the prisoner's courtyard. Rather than it be empty due to the alarms and intruder alert, several prisoners were outside and were having a large brawl with several MCA officers. It seemed that some of the prisoners had taken advantage of the chaotic situation throughout the prison in an attempt to escape or at least cause some carnage. From what Kynarus could see this was hardly working, the officers pulling out stun batons in an attempt to subdue the unruly prisoners. More prisoners kept arriving in the fight and more officers arrived in turn, evening out the odds as either side fought each other. This would probably help keep the heat off of Kynarus and Klaus, a benefit both intruders would definitely need.

Klaus stopped by a closed door, glancing over at the young turian before gesturing towards the door with one thumb.

"This here's an armoury," Klaus said, stating the obvious. Kynarus had already noticed the word ARMOURY printed across the door and simply nodded in response to Klaus' statement.

"Watch my back while I try and get this door open," Klaus said, "we'll probably need the extra firepower if we want to get into the Warden's office."

Kynarus simply nodded, turning his attention to the corridor behind them and before them. He didn't agree with the plan of getting into the Warden's office, it seemed a bit too dangerous since there was bound to be plenty of guards there. Apparently Klaus needed to access the computers there to find out where Schraeder was but Kynarus doubted this was the full reason. Perhaps Klaus just thought if he killed the Warden then he might get a promotion or some sort of decent reward from Dieter, or even Schraeder.

The door slid open after some of Klaus' routine fiddling, the human stepping inside the small room. Kynarus followed him, finding the room to be lit quite brightly and its walls lined with racks of weapons. Some of the racks were empty, a telltale sign that guards had already been through it but there was still plenty to choose from. There were a number of models Kynarus wasn't familiar with as well as canisters of medi-gel, omni-gel and some omni-tools. Klaus was already taking down some of the accessories, such as some omni-gel canisters and spare magazines.

Kynarus, left with only his pistol, picked up one of the more compact weapons. It was made of a black-grey metal colour and larger than a standard pistol but smaller than an assault rifle. He figured it was some sort of in-between sort of weapon for the two types, finding the weapon itself to be lightweight and easily held in a single hand. The turian found a magazine for it on the same shelf, sliding it into the weapon and watching as the indicators on the back of the weapon flickered into life.

Klaus had grabbed several more grenades, strapping them to his waist before he clipped his assault rifle to his back and grabbed a human-made shotgun. He pulled the pump back, hearing the familiar _click-click_ sound and grinning with some excitement when he began thinking of the damage that could be caused by such a weapon. He saw the compact gun Kynarus had chosen, frowning for a moment as he racked his memories for what it was called.

"That's called a submachine gun," Klaus said, Kynarus looking up at him and then down at the compact gun in his hand, "they spew out the bullets quickly to make up for their low power. Good at close quarters, I guess."

Kynarus didn't reply, instead he clipped the weapon to his waist and stepped back out into the corridor. As he did so he heard a shout from further down the corridor, off to his right. His heart began thumping wildly again, the adrenaline flowing back through him as it had done during the shootout in the mess hall earlier. He turned his head and saw a pair of MCA officers, their side-arms raised as they came charging down the corridor.

"There's the turian!" One of them shouted, "Get him!"

Kynarus pulled the submachine gun from where it was clipped to the waist of his armour, raising it with his right hand. He quickly tried to work out the threat level of the two officers, seeing that they weren't in full armour suits but standard vests with no helmets. Perhaps the MCA contingent here hadn't had the time to prepare for the attack and maybe these two guards had been on their way to the armoury to get some heavier equipment? Whatever the reason, it didn't matter since Kynarus squeezed the submachine gun's trigger seconds before the MCA officers began firing.

The weapon shook slightly where he held it, spraying out bullets at a surprisingly quick rate. They hit the metal walls, sending sparks flying while some met with the vests on the officers. They stumbled backwards under the intense fire before some of the rounds punctured their vests, the officers trying to fire back but their shots went wide under the intense fire. Both officers fell into a heap on the floor of the corridor, pools of blood forming around them where they lay.

Klaus had come out of the armoury and surveyed Kynarus' handiwork for a moment. The turian didn't say anything; he only clipped the submachine gun back into place at his waist as Klaus walked past him.

"Nice job," the human said, seeing a trace of annoyance cross the turian's scaly features.

"You think?" Kynarus said, annoyed when he realized yet again that he was becoming no better than Klaus or Dieter. He knew he would have to put up with this for some time to come but he couldn't wait until the time came where he would rescue Katherine and hopefully get rid of Dieter and his goons.

Klaus didn't reply, starting on his way down the corridor. Kynarus began following him again, noticing that the human was humming quietly to himself.

The pair followed the winding corridors for another five minutes before arriving at a set of double doors, the doors sliding open as they approached and revealing an ornate wooden corridor. Klaus took a moment to admire the sudden change of interior design, Kynarus a little confused as to why the change started here.

"We're nearing the Warden's office," Klaus said, "can't you tell?"

Kynarus took in the ornately decorated wooden panelled walls, chandeliers at the high ceiling and timber flooring. It occurred to him that they were well away from any sort of prison block area and were entering right into the heart of the prison, where the "big boss" (the Warden) ran the whole place. The corridor ended at a T-junction up ahead, the corridor clear of guards from what could be seen.

"Where are all the guards?" Kynarus asked. Once again he had that feeling of impending dread, the feeling that told him all was not right around them. He didn't bother speaking up his fears, preferring for Klaus to find out himself. However, he did un-clip his submachine gun from his waist and held it tightly in his right hand.

"They'll be around here somewhere," Klaus said, starting into the ornate corridor, his boots clacking on the wooden flooring. Kynarus followed at a safe distance, looking around the corridor and seeing that there was some sort of overlook ahead which made an ideal spot for a sniper.

The corridor itself was relatively silent save for the distant sounds of wailing sirens and weapons fire. This silence was abruptly broken when an alarm began sounding from somewhere close by, the red lights that lined the walls flashing as Klaus stared on, confused.

"_Attention all security personnel," _a man's voice broke through the wailing siren through some sort of loud announcement system; _"the two intruders have penetrated the office complex and are heading for my office. Make sure they don't receive a warm reception, eh?"_

Kynarus figured the announcement was from the Warden himself and could tell that the human wasn't the type who took nonsense, simply judging from his voice. Klaus simply shrugged and started walking again, shotgun held at the ready.

At the small overlook the red curtain there fluttered slightly. Kynarus saw this movement and realized there was no breeze inside the corridor, raising his submachine gun and firing a volley at the curtain. There was a loud grunt and the curtains gave way as a guard fell forwards and over the edge of the overlook, landing with a dull _thud_ on the floor below.

The alarms continued wailing as Klaus and Kynarus rounded the left corner at the junction. Up ahead was a long, wide corridor which was lined with decorative statues of lions and jaguars. Stone pillars were evenly spaced throughout the corridor while pot plants, green and leafy ones at that, were evenly distributed throughout the corridor. The wide, open corridor itself ended in a large metal door with a flashing red light above it.

The Warden was obviously a man of expensive tastes, keeping the very corridor that went to his office decorated and well-maintained. Kynarus thought it was a welcome change from the landscape of Mars which had then been followed by dank underground tunnels and finally the corridors of the prison itself. There was still a long way to go yet.

Klaus started into the wide lobby, figuring that he could simply walk up to the door and expect it to open for him. Kynarus hung back, looking around and trying to figure out what was odd about the situation. After all, where were all of the guards? Someone would have to expect the guards would be trying their best to protect the Warden.

At either side, nestled towards the far corners of the lobby, were two large metal panels in the walls which looked a bit out of place. Kynarus stuck close to the available cover, passing a large marble statue of the Earth-native animal known as a "lion". He had read about some of the animals that had once roamed freely on the Earth, now restricted to zoos and what little wilderness was left. It was a sad thought that a once beautiful world had been practically ruined by the very species that had called it home, the humans having done a good job at polluting and generally stuffing up their own planet.

Klaus stopped suddenly, a slight whirring sound getting his attention. Kynarus heard it too, gripping the submachine gun he held in his right hand tightly as he looked around. The two metal panels had started to slide open, stopping and revealing a wide doorway behind them. As soon as it was open several armed MCA officers began flowing out, some of the officers armed with shotguns and submachine guns but otherwise no different than the ones Kynarus and Klaus had encountered earlier.

Upon seeing this Klaus brought up his shotgun, firing once and watching as one of the guards fell flat onto the floor from the force of the blast. The return fire was quick and accurate, ripping chunks out of the marble jaguar that Klaus had been standing near. The human's kinetic barriers rippled but he dived behind the marble jaguar, the heavy fire almost rendering the marble jaguar unrecognizable.

Kynarus moved behind one of the pillars when some of the officers began gunning for him, the turian managing to return fire and take down one of the officers as they flowed into the lobby. He figured this was some sort of last ditch effort by the Warden to keep himself safe, sending out as many guards as he could find. There probably weren't as many as their usually would have been seeing as most were preoccupied with controlling the riots that had broken out through the prison.

Kynarus leaned around the pillar, seeing two of the officers were trying to make their way around the statues and eventually around the side of his pillar. The turian was quick, diving onto the floor and from behind the pillar while opening fire with his submachine gun. Both guards spun about a little as the bullets connected with them, spurts of blood hinting at the damage caused as they fell.

The return fire began smashing apart the marble statue in front of Kynarus. The turian went into a crouched position, edging around the marble statue as chunks were blown off of its opposite side. He leaned around the side of the statue, the marble near his face exploding outwards in a white cloud as a round slammed into it. He ignored the dust that went floated into his face and fired at the few guards up ahead. Two of them fell but the return fire from the others forced Kynarus back behind the statue.

He glanced over at Klaus who retrieved one of the grenade discs, flinging it in the general direction of a group of MCA officers at the other side of the lobby. The grenade detonated in front of the three officers, sending them flying away from the explosion. One guard knocked over a pair of nearby pot plants, spilling dirt and leaves onto the floor.

Kynarus leaned around the statue again, seeing that the grenade had helped to distract the other officers that were left. The turian stepped from behind the statue and fired at a pair of officers who were behind a pillar up ahead, both of which were partially exposed. The submachine gun rounds blew away chunks of stone, one of the officers falling to the floor while the other started to limp for a more suitable form of cover, clutching at a wound in his thigh as he went. Kynarus simply pointed the submachine gun at the limping officer, firing once and watching without showing a sign of remorse as the officer fell forwards onto the floor, motionless.

The three officers that were left were scattered, one behind a marble lion and another behind a pillar. The other officer shouldn't really count, Kynarus figured, seeing as he was crawling on the floor in a pool of his own blood and slowly moving towards a dropped assault rifle. Klaus, however, did think this officer was still a threat and fired a blast of his shotgun at the crawling officer. He stopped moving, part of his head blowing away and leaving a bloody red smear across the floor.

Kynarus averted his eyes with some revulsion, the officer behind the pillar stepping out of cover and firing at the turian. Kynarus' kinetic shields rippled briefly but the turian stood his ground, able to tell the two remaining officers weren't especially keen on dying. As a result their aim was suffering and Kynarus simply had to sidestep a little to throw off the guard's fire for a few seconds. A few seconds was all the turian needed, raising the submachine gun and firing a line across the side of the pillar. The officer behind it grunted and fell forwards, dropping his rifle and going limp on the floor.

Kynarus looked towards the last officer who was simply cowering behind a marble lion. He saw the turian coming and dropped his shotgun, letting it thud dully on the carpeted floor. He turned around and began to run, sprinting down the corridor and disappearing around the previous corner. Satisfied, Kynarus lowered his submachine gun just as he heard the whirring sound again. Both hidden doors were sliding shut, probably to keep him and Klaus out.

"That was fucking awesome!" Klaus exclaimed suddenly, walking past the turian and smiling broadly at him. It occurred to Kynarus that Klaus was the type who found this sort of thing (shooting and killing) more fun than anything else. Kynarus didn't think much of it, knowing he would have to keep doing it until he was off of Mars. He couldn't complain, it was a "kill or be killed" situation. If he died he would never see Katherine again.

Kynarus stood watching as Klaus stepped over to the bulkhead door. He tried the panel by it, turning to Kynarus with a frown on his face. It seemed they had met yet another obstacle.

"Have you got another breaching charge?" He asked. Kynarus only nodded in response, pulling the last breaching charge off from where it was clipped to his waist. He threw it to Klaus who caught it easily before sticking it onto the mechanized lock on the door and arming it. Taking a step back Klaus detonated the charge, the chemicals inside sizzling away the lock on the door and burning a hole through the metal. Once that had been achieved it was a simple matter for Klaus to pull one of the double doors open, revealing the large windowed office behind it.

The Warden seemed to earn a lot of money from his job of running the prison, having gone to some lengths to decorate his private office and nearby hallways with expensive statues and carpets. His office was no different, the floor tiled with beige ceramic tiles but with a few expensive ornate rugs here and there. The walls were high and of a matching colour to the tiles on the floor but were wooden, a few expensive paintings hanging up as well as shelves containing all sorts of ornamental items. Kynarus had never really cared much for art but he did take a quick glance at each of the paintings, one of which was of some old fashioned seaside town and another of some humans in old fashioned black clothing appearing to be operating on some unconscious human before them. They had curious expressions on their faces, as if they had no idea what they were doing.

_This guy has expensive tastes,_ Kynarus thought. The items on the shelves were mostly old artefacts, one of them being a glistening metal sword resting on a stand. It curved slightly and gave a sort of majestic appearance despite the fact it was the sword of thing that could hurt someone pretty badly. Another of the items was some sort of old human rifle with a wooden stock resting on a stand at the other side of the room, several large golden-yellow bullets lying on the shelf with it.

At the very end of the room and in front of a set of thick, large windows that provided some view of the Martian landscape was the Warden's desk. It was a wooden desk, probably very expensive and made from a rare sort of tree. Kynarus quickly glanced over at Klaus who was looking around with wide eyes, probably thinking that once they were done with the Warden they would do well to cart off some of his expensive belongings.

The desk itself was empty, Klaus and Kynarus walking right up to it just to be sure. Kynarus saw that the computer on the desk was still running and that a few datapads were strewn across the top of the desk, indicating that it had been left alone in a hurry. Kynarus looked around the office, taking note of the elevator door at the far corner. That elevator was probably the Warden's private one which he used to get to any floor of the prison.

"Where the fuck is he?" Klaus asked. It took him a moment to realize where when part of the front of the desk exploded outwards, shotgun rounds tearing through the wood and slamming into the human's kinetic barriers. Kynarus jumped back with some surprise, raising his submachine gun while Klaus grabbed the edge of the desk and pulled it. There was a dull _thud_ followed by a painful sounding grunt, the chair behind the desk being kicked away as the Warden crawled from under the desk. He was holding a compact shotgun-type weapon which he dropped as he turned around to face the two intruders, a worried look crossing his face when he saw they both had their guns pointing at him.

The Warden was a human of average build, dressed neatly in an expensive white jacket and dress pants. He looked like he was going out for dinner to an expensive restaurant, something which Kynarus doubted. The turian figured that with all the money the Warden had he would make sure to dress in something rather expensive day-in and day-out. The Warden had dark hair and light brown eyes, looking to be in his forties but probably older. He held up his hands slowly, showing the two intruders that he wasn't armed.

"You must be the Warden," Klaus said, gripping his shotgun and waving it around slightly to make sure the Warden saw it and where it was pointed, "My name's…"

"Klaus Mueller? Yes, I know who you are," the Warden said, his voice laced with a trace of an accent. Kynarus didn't know which one but Klaus was pretty certain it was British…or maybe Irish. He wasn't really sure.

The Warden shifted his gaze to Kynarus, lowering his arms and losing his worried expression. He seemed to calm down immensely, probably knowing that it was no use to get all worried. Of course, Kynarus knew better since Klaus seemed fairly intent on shooting the Warden.

"You must be Kynarus Vakarian," the Warden said, frowning, "the Colonel said you two might drop by. Since you have, maybe you would like a drink? Or maybe some cigars? It's not often non-humans come to Mars, Kynarus…"

The Warden went to reach for one of the drawers in his desk but Klaus simply pumped his shotgun, the _click-click_ sound enough to stop the Warden's actions in their tracks. Kynarus found the human's sudden calmness unnerving, especially since he had just tried to kill them only a minute earlier.

"No fucking cigars," Klaus said bluntly, "I don't want any shit from you. All I want is to know where Schraeder's being kept…"

Kynarus realized that something the Warden had said had struck him as curious. He interrupted Klaus' demands much to the human's annoyance, ignoring the angry look he shot him and getting the attention of the Warden.

"You mentioned a Colonel?" Kynarus asked, "Did you mean Colonel Sommers?"

The Warden seemed to think about this for a moment, nodding in response a few seconds later.

"Yes…"

"So, is Cerberus in on this as well?" Kynarus asked, "Do they know about me and Klaus and the whole operation?" He would be surprised if they did know, especially after the trap the whole squad had fallen into at the entrance to the maintenance tunnel. That seemed so long ago while in fact it was probably about an hour earlier

"Cerberus? Why, Cerberus is a benefactor to this very prison!" The Warden exclaimed, smiling when he saw the look of surprise on Kynarus' scaly features. "They even have assets in the colony here on Mars. They're everywhere. That's why you two are so fucked." The Warden said the last sentence with a hint of sadistic glee, his smile changing from a fairly glad one to a fairly malevolent one. Kynarus suddenly felt uneasy, able to notice some surprise in Klaus' expression as well.

"You're the one who's fucked," Klaus said, returning to his demanding and intimidating state, "hell, I'm surprised you didn't escape in your elevator. Why is that?"  
The Warden shrugged.

"I was about to go in when you two burnt a hole through my office's door," The Warden said with a hint of annoyance, as if he was thinking about the inconvenience of getting someone to fix the door, "so I figured I'd try and get the jump on you…"

"By shooting us through your desk?" Kynarus asked, finding the Warden's plan had been a bit stupid. Didn't he think they would have kinetic shields? A single shotgun blast isn't going to deplete the shields on a Zahni Corporation armour outfit. Maybe the Warden wasn't as intelligent as he looked, or maybe deep down he was in fact quite afraid.

"Quit the bullshit and tell us where Schraeder is!" Klaus said, almost shouting. He was angry now, Kynarus could tell from the way he was scowling and from the way his face was going a little red. The Warden noticed this too but remained calm although the fearful look in his eyes betrayed his calm exterior. Kynarus figured the Warden was just about shitting his pants right now.

"Who? Herbert von Schraeder?" The Warden asked, realizing who Klaus was talking about, "why, he's down in the Biotics Ward. That's the most heavily guarded section of the prison. You two won't have much chance to get inside…"

"Do you realize that most of your guards are fighting with the prisoners?" Klaus asked, "Or were you too busy smoking Cuban cigars in the safety of your office?" Klaus paused for a few seconds to catch his breath. "Your guards won't notice the two of us, especially when you're dead and unable to command them. They'll be busy slaughtering the many prisoners here and simultaneously putting this prison out of business."

The Warden raised an eyebrow; the last sentence Klaus said catching him a bit off-guard. Kynarus had a feeling what was going to happen but didn't bother intervening, knowing he would probably be the one who got shot if he did intervene.

"So tell us: which cell is Schraeder in? If you don't tell me I can just access your computer and find out. I'm giving you a chance to tell us yourself and thus stay alive. Which option do you want to take?"

The Warden lost his calm exterior, that worried and desperate look appearing on his face again. Kynarus watched on with indifference as the scene played out. He didn't care for the Warden at all, probably because he hardly knew the man and probably because he seemed to make an awful lot of money while the prisoners here were subjected to sub-standard conditions. He was profiting from their suffering. Maybe he deserved to die.

_No one deserves to die…do they?_

"Schraeder's in the East Wing of the Biotics Ward, Sub-Level 2, and Cell-Block D2. He's in cell number seven. Now, can you leave me alone?" The Warden sounded desperate, his hands shaking as he went for a drawer on his desk. He gripped the knob and began to open it, Kynarus catching a glimpse of what was inside and raising his submachine gun.

"Don't try it," Kynarus said as the Warden grabbed hold of the pistol lying inside. He looked towards the turian and then the submachine gun the turian had pointed at him. He managed a cry of anguish, pulling the drawer out of the desk and flinging it behind him. It slammed loudly on the thick windows, the pistol inside clattering to the floor, landing way out of reach.

"Please…I have kids…"

Kynarus ignored the Warden's whimpering and picked up one of the datapads that had been left on the desk, flicking through the information on it. As he read through it he realized the assumption he had been forming at the back of his mind was correct. This prison was indeed tied to the Cerberus organization and this datapad contained details on prisoners that are to be shipped out within a week to a Cerberus research facility on Ontarom. The Warden was being paid a lot of credits for each prisoner, the prisoners themselves probably being subjected to experiments by the organization. This would explain why a prison Warden could afford so many expensive items.

"What are you doing? Don't read that! It's classified information!" The Warden sounded desperate now. Kynarus had read all he had to, throwing the datapad to the floor while keeping the submachine gun raised with his right hand. He realized he must have looked furious since Klaus was looking at him with a confused expression.

"You look like someone's just taken a shit in your dinner," Klaus said bluntly, forgetting about the Warden for a moment.

Kynarus didn't reply, he simply adjusted the settings dial on his submachine gun while the Warden stood watching with a desperate, despairing expression. He probably knew what was coming and his eyes were almost watery with tears.

_Don't do it! You're no better than Dieter or Cerberus if you do it!  
Do it! He deserves it! He's selling prisoners to Cerberus! He doesn't deserve to live!_

_When you're done, check his desk for drugs…_

Kynarus tried to block out all of these conflicting thoughts, concentrating on the Warden and nothing else. It took him only a moment to decide what he would do.

"Yeah, you do it Kye," Klaus said simply, lowering his shotgun, "this asshole ain't worth my time. Oh yeah, and once you're done, be sure to check his desk for cigars. I feel like a smoke…"

Kynarus did his best to ignore Klaus, keeping his eyes trained on the pleading face of the Warden. It was now or never, Kynarus realizing that yes, there were some people out there who deserved to die.

In the brief second that Kynarus squeezed the trigger about three rounds sprayed out, hitting the Warden in the chest. He looked surprised as if he had expected the turian to change his mind about shooting him. The Warden stumbled backwards slightly, three points of blood forming in scorched holes that had appeared on the front of his white dress jacket. He went to say something but instead blood welled up in his mouth, preventing him from forming any proper words. It was a few seconds before he landed on the floor, slumping onto one side with his eyes wide open and staring. The galaxy, it seemed, was free of one less profiteering asshole making money from other people's suffering. Still, there was a long way to go before such people were eradicated.

Kynarus lowered his submachine gun, his face indifferent as he told himself the Warden had deserved it. Selling prisoners to Cerberus didn't strike him as particularly right but then again killing the Warden didn't strike him as particularly "wrong" either. The conflicting thoughts that had been reverberating throughout the turian's head were gone now, left with only a sort of mental blank which lasted for a moment or two before he remembered what he was supposed to be doing.

"Get me his cigars and we can take the elevator," Klaus said suddenly, knocking Kynarus out of his self-induced trance of thought. The turian looked up, turning his head to where Klaus was standing by the elevator door. Kynarus then shifted his gaze back down to the desk, searching the remaining drawers briefly and finding the case of expensive cigars that Klaus wanted. With one final look down at the Warden's motionless corpse, Kynarus realized he was one step closer to becoming the ideal Zahni Corporation goon.

_He deserved it,_ Kynarus told himself again. He turned around and started for the elevator, preferring not to think about it anymore and heading into the private elevator with Klaus.

* * *

Klaus had a cigar in his mouth for most of the elevator trip, puffing lightly on the end and trying to form smoke rings. He failed but he did succeed in filling up the top of the elevator with smoke, enough to make Kynarus' eyes start to water. The elevator trip itself lasted for a few minutes, quiet elevator music playing from a speaker in the ceiling and forming some sort of tune that Klaus found familiar.

"Hey, I know this song," he said in-between two blows on the end of the cigar he held, stuffing the cigar case and its contents into a compartment in his armour.

Kynarus ignored him, rubbing his eyes to try and help them recover from the irritating effects of the smoke. He looked towards the elevator panel and at the two buttons Klaus had pressed, one of which was going to be their destination and the other had been to simply close the elevator doors. They were heading down to the Biotics Ward, Sub-Level 2 of the prison. The elevator trip was taking its time, the elevator travelling at a steady pace while the annoying music played from the speaker above.

In the subdued silence of the elevator, Kynarus was unable to help but start thinking of his predicament and what he had done so far. There had been more to this prison than simply a place where wrongdoers went when they were caught. Rather, it acted as a maximum security prison but often several of the prisoners would be shipped off to "somewhere else" which would in fact be a Cerberus research facility. Whatever they needed the prisoners for was probably not a good thing and something Kynarus tried not to think about. He found it unsurprising that the humans would be doing such things to each other; they had always been the type of species that would have a go at each other at the slightest of reasons. Kynarus had read about some human history and found it had been filled with wars, occasionally large wars as well which would devastate their home planet. He realized that maybe the turians weren't much different, especially when comparing human wars to the Unification War several hundred years ago.

Kynarus realized his mind was drifting off-track a little, especially when the act of shooting the Warden dead was fresh in his mind. He didn't feel any guilt surprisingly, finding that the Warden had deserved it. He was the one profiting from selling prisoners to Cerberus and such people didn't deserve to live. They deserved to be punished for their crimes against the basic rights of a galaxy dwelling citizen, even if that "citizen" was actually a prisoner. Prisoners still deserved some respect, even if they might be responsible for terrible crimes. They were serving their time and getting punished, they didn't need to be further punished by being subjected to Cerberus experiments.

One thing that had been bugging Kynarus recently had been the fact that he was becoming more and more like a cold-blooded killer, such as Dieter or Klaus. He was a mercenary and mercenaries had to kill sometimes, he had just done it when he had been threatened himself. Now though he was killing because he felt like it, finding that killing was easier to more one did it. Maybe he was destined to end up a ruthless mercenary but first he would make sure to rescue Katherine as soon as he got the chance, he just had to ride out this breakout operation first. So far it had gone somewhat awry but now that the prisoners were rioting he guessed he and Klaus would have an easier time of getting where they were going. The attention would be greatly lifted off of them seeing as most of the MCA officers would be busy quelling the riots.

Kynarus wondered whether the prisoners had any idea of how some of them were being shipped off-planet to be experimented upon. They probably had some idea of what happened to the prisoners taken off of Mars but they most likely knew no more than that. Perhaps it was time they learnt the truth?

The elevator stopped suddenly, a loud _ding_ sounding throughout the inside and signifying that they had reached their destination. The doors slid open, revealing a short but wide corridor with a blue-grey interior design which ended at a set of metal automatic doors. Klaus was the first out of the elevator, keeping his cigar sticking out from one corner of his mouth as he started down the corridor, shotgun held at the ready. Kynarus began following closely behind, stopping when Klaus stopped at the double doors and tried the panel. The panel flashed green after some brief fiddling, the doors sliding open and revealing a large open room that continued in either left or right directions. The pair stepped out onto a catwalk which ran at the top floor of the vast room; the lower floors (being about three of them) were lined with similar catwalks and several locked and solid metal doors. Kynarus figured this was the Biotics Ward, taking note of the white and blue interior design which hinted at a sort of laboratory style environment.

Several MCA officers patrolled the lower floors and about three were at different points on the walkway on the top floor. None had noticed Klaus and Kynarus' arrival just yet, giving the pair time to formulate some sort f plan of approach before they got started with shooting the place up. Klaus nudged Kynarus, getting the turian's attention and pointing towards a spot close to the ceiling.

"This is Cell Block D1," Klaus said, pointing out the large sign that displayed 'D1', "Schraeder's in D2. I'm guessing that's nearby."  
Kynarus only nodded in acknowledgement of this information, pulling his submachine gun free of the clip that was holding it to his waist. Klaus crouched and tapped Kynarus' leg as he went down, signalling for the turian to do the same. Looking around Klaus pointed towards a door at the very end of the long, open room to the right which had the letter and number 'D2' printed on it. Near the door were a window and an open doorway and through the window was a small office lined with computer monitors and a single desk. Two officers sat in the office, watching the surveillance monitors and trying to figure out why there were two armour-clad intruders showing up on one of the monitors.

"Shit, they probably got us on camera," Klaus said suddenly, raising his rifle and firing at a spot near the ceiling. The surveillance camera there blew apart in a shower of metal and sparks but this was enough to get the attention of every guard in the cell block. Klaus started running for the office, Kynarus having no choice but to turn his attention to the guard on the other walkway or had raised his weapon. It took only a few accurate shots for the guard to stumble, leaning over the railing and falling four floors down to his death.

Klaus stopped by the doorway into the office, the two officers inside racing out armed with shotguns. Kynarus had followed Klaus and was the one who ran a volley of fire across the doorway, both guards spinning slightly and falling. By now the other officers in the cell block had turned their attention towards the two intruders, the officers on the floors below trying to get a bead on any of the intruders and occasionally firing off some pot-shots up in their direction. Kynarus couldn't believe Klaus' sheer recklessness and disregard for his own safety, they could have easily found a way around the cameras. The turian figured that Kynarus was the type of person who enjoyed this sort of dangerous situation.

Klaus went into the office, Kynarus remaining outside in order to keep him covered. He saw a door at the other end of this floor of the cell-block slide open, a pair of officers racing out. Kynarus fired in their general direction, sending them prone onto the floor as they returned fire. Chunks of stone were blasted out of the walls around Kynarus but otherwise the officers were too far away to provide especially accurate fire although the turian did crouch, ducking behind one of the metal panels that lined the railings.

Kynarus became aware of some shouting from somewhere below, managing a glance and seeing that several of the prisoners in the locked cells below had started slamming on their doors. The noise of all the shooting had obviously gotten their attention and they were seizing the chance to become a nuisance. Kynarus didn't like to think how much trouble they would be if they broke out, using their biotic powers to toss people around like stuffed toys.

That was when all of the cell doors in the block slid open, slamming loudly as they hit their stopping hinges. Kynarus glanced behind him and into the office, finding that Klaus had pulled a lever that was on the wall which had been marked with the sign "EMERGENCY DOOR RELEASE". Kynarus turned back towards the cells below, watching as several human prisoners of varying shapes and sizes and all dressed in dull-grey prisoner uniforms came flowing out of some of the open cells. Immediately the patrolling officers below switched their attention to the escaped prisoners, some opening fire and cutting down a few of the prisoners. Kynarus watched as two of the guards were sent flying backwards in a ripple of blue, shimmering energy. They hit the far wall and fell somewhat painfully onto the floor, not getting back up.

Klaus emerged from the office, a crazy looking grin on his face. Kynarus glared at him angrily, realizing that matters had become somewhat complicated now.

"Why did you do that for?" Kynarus asked, "Those prisoners are probably all crazy enough to try and kill us!"  
Klaus only shrugged, he didn't seem to care. The officers were currently preoccupied trying to subdue the escaped prisoners in any way they could rather than bother with the two intruders in the cellblock.

"Stop complaining, scales," Klaus said simply. He nodded over towards the double doors nearby, ignoring the sounds of shooting and celebratory cheers from the escaped prisoners. "Let's get to the next cellblock."

Kynarus reluctantly followed Klaus through the double doors, the pair passing through a short corridor and another set of double doors before coming out into a similar sort of vast room with four floors. The cells here had slid open as well; officers and prisoners were duking it out on the floors below and running around trying to get the better of each other. There was one cell door, way on the bottom floor, that hadn't opened.

"I made sure Schraeder's cell didn't open," Klaus said, seeing Kynarus' interest in the locked door, "he'll be safer inside. We do need to get him out of here alive, after all."  
Kynarus heard movement somewhere off to their left. He turned his head and saw a guard sprinting along the catwalk, heading for a door at the corner of the room. The MCA officer never reached his destination, Kynarus raising the submachine gun and firing off a few shots, the officer stumbling forwards from his own momentum and rolling a short distance before coming to a stop in a bloody heap.

Kynarus began following Klaus, occasionally looking down at the lower floors to see how the fight between the prisoners and MCA officers was going. Most of the officers had retreated from the cellblock, the prisoners happily hurling officers around with their biotic powers. Kynarus figured that most of these prisoners were disgraced soldiers seeing as they had the training and abilities that made them so dangerous. Only a trained biotic soldier would be so effective with their powers.

Klaus was first to the door that the previous guard had been heading for, the door sliding open and revealing a stairwell below. Kynarus followed Klaus into the stairwell, the turian noticing movement on the stairs below. It was a prisoner and he came running up their stairs, a crazy look appearing in his eyes when he saw the pair of intruders. He brought up one arm and the air around him began shimmering with blue-white energy. He never got a chance to throw the two intruders; rather Kynarus emptied several rounds into the prisoner and watched as his bloodied corpse tumbled down the stairs before coming to rest on the first landing.

_Some of these prisoners must be crazy,_ Kynarus thought. He followed Klaus down the stairs, stepping over the dead prisoner's bullet-riddled corpse and passing the door that went out onto the third floor of the cellblock. They were headed for the very bottom where the only locked cell door was. Kynarus hoped this Schraeder guy was alright, for Katherine's sake. Dieter had told him that a failed mission would ensure Katherine would be killed and Kynarus knew he could never live with that on his conscience.

The sound of weapons fire grew in volume as they made their way to the bottom floor, officers and prisoners still fighting it out on the bottom floor. By now alarm sirens in the cellblock had been sounded, reinforcements flowing in through the main door on the bottom floor. The pair of intruders stepped out onto the main floor of the prison, watching as several prisoners were cut down under combined weapons fire. MCA officers were scattered throughout the main floor, organizing their effort to forcefully subdue the escaped prisoners.

Kynarus and Klaus sprinted behind some of the makeshift barricades the officers had set up, bullets pinging off of the metal as the pair ran through the cellblock.

A bunch of three prisoners were up ahead, shifting their attention towards the two interlopers. Kynarus and Klaus were faster, bringing up their weapons and firing at the prisoners. The three prisoners twirled slightly where they stood, falling onto the ground in differing fashions.

Kynarus dived behind one of the barricades, somersaulting forwards as a group of guards ran into the cellblock through the door ahead. By now many of the prisoners had escaped the cellblock and thus there weren't many of them left to pose much of a threat, now it was only the groups of guards that would pose a major threat. Some of the remaining prisoners were already fleeing, the guards concentrating their attention onto the two intruders.

Kynarus came up firing his submachine gun, putting a volley across the group of about four MCA officers that had come through the doors ahead. Three of the guards fell under the spray of bullets, the surviving officer rolling towards one side and returning fire. Kynarus shifted his aim towards this guard, his shields rippling as the officer opened fire with his assault rifle. It didn't take much to eliminate this guard, Kynarus spraying several rounds in his direction and watching as the guard crumpled onto the floor.

Kynarus ducked behind one of the metal barricades, the other guards at the far end of the cellblock firing in his direction. Yet again Kynarus was getting shot at; this was something that he realized had been happening to him an awful lot since he first got caught up in this Cerberus/Zahni Corporation business. He would be thankful when this whole breakout operation was over, that way he wouldn't end up in such dangerous situations.

He looked around, seeing that Klaus had retreated back to the locked cell door. He was obscured from view by a large barricade that had been set up earlier, having effectively left Kynarus to hold off the attacking guards.

_Typical. Klaus leaves me to deal with these guys myself._

Kynarus removed a grenade disc from where it was clipped to his armour at his waist, arming the device and throwing it. There weren't as many guards as there had been outside the Warden's office but they were all shooting at him, attempting to suppress him as a pair of officers made their way around his flank on the walkway above. They probably thought he wouldn't notice them but they had forgotten that turians had far better senses than a human, a turian's eyesight being considerably more sensitive as well as their hearing. Kynarus saw the pair of officers up on the walkway, firing a volley of submachine gun fire in their direction and watching as they both fell, one leaning over the side of the walkway a bit too far. He fell to the floor across the cellblock with a dull _thud_ and didn't move.

Kynarus threw the grenade he had been clutching in his left hand towards the guards up ahead. He didn't bother watching the damage it caused, turning around and heading for the locked cell door. He heard an explosion and shouts seconds later from behind him, the firing stopping briefly as the few remaining officers tried to gather their senses after the blast.

Klaus had opened the locked cell door and was standing in the doorway, speaking in some sort of foreign language to whoever was inside. Kynarus managed to catch a glimpse of Herbert von Schraeder over Klaus' shoulder and was positively under-whelmed, having expected some sort of Dieter look-alike.

Inside sat a rather calm human, looking to be middle-aged and having a very calm demeanour. He was in the regulation grey-blue prisoner uniforms, slowly rising to his feet as he spoke to Klaus. He had dark hair and rather dark brown eyes, the type that looked normal enough but stare at them too long and one would be able to see the hidden malevolence behind them. This human, Schraeder, provided a far more sinister presence than Dieter ever had. He looked towards Kynarus and then turned to Klaus, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the guards outside were getting increasingly curious as to where the two intruders had gone.

"So, what do we do with him?" Schraeder's voice was calm and collected, traced with the now familiar accent Kynarus associated with Klaus, Dieter and the other goons.

Klaus glanced at Kynarus, smiling broadly. Kynarus had no idea what they were talking about and he had no reason to believe he had come this far to merely get duped. Now though it seemed that would be the case. He raised his submachine gun and pointed it accusingly at Klaus.

"What? What are you talking about?" Kynarus couldn't help keep the frustration out of his voice, realizing that all along the plan had been to either get him killed here or leave him here. He could see where the situation was going.

"We're leaving you here," Klaus said with a grin, "that way they'll be too busy interrogating you to bother with us."

Kynarus felt his heart-rate falter when he heard this. He should have known better than to trust Dieter or any of the other Zahni Corporation goons but he hadn't really been given much of a choice. It was either come to Mars or get killed with Katherine. His hand were shaking now and he was beginning to find it hard to concentrate.

"Step aside Klaus," Schraeder said, Klaus obediently stepping out of Schraeder's way. There was that familiar blue shimmer of energy as Schraeder, with surprising speed, lifted up one arm with a clenched fist, opening the fist at the top of the lift. Kynarus felt enough force hit him head-on to send him dazed as he flew backwards, landing painfully on the floor in the middle of the cellblock. He landed behind a barricade, dazed and confused but unable to react since his head hit the barricade itself. He was plunged into unconsciousness, if only for a brief time. As his vision faded he caught a glimpse of Klaus and Schraeder running for the stairwell but it was only a glimpse which faded within seconds.


	24. Confrontation

**Location:** Mars Colonial Authority Maximum Security Prison, somewhere in the Amazonis region, Mars

Kynarus' head ached and his muscles were sore, the energy and effort he had expended today beginning to take its toll on his body. Trying to not get shot and trying to shoot at MCA officers did prove to become exhausting eventually which was why this sudden daze seemed to be a welcome relief. Kynarus was only dimly aware of the shouts and weapons fire occurring around him, the turian slowly sitting up while he rubbed his aching head.

His senses, currently, had been knocked about considerably and he had trouble concentrating on anything. For some reason he could barely remember where he was and what he was supposed to be doing and spent a few moments trying to gather his bearings about him.

He remembered seeing Klaus heading for the stairwell, followed by the now escaped prisoner Herbert von Schraeder. Kynarus remembered suddenly why he was here, where he was and why these two men escaping was such a bad thing. He remembered the whole act of being betrayed and sent flying by one of Schraeder's biotic throws and realized why this was definitely not a good thing. They were leaving him to be either apprehended or killed by the Mars Colonial Authority, thus relieving the Corporation of most of the heat since the apparent mastermind would be either lying dead or in custody. They had already planted enough evidence to make it quite obvious that Kynarus had "masterminded" the breakout attempt, so with him out of the way the case could be closed and Schraeder would be at large, not that many people would care.

_Dieter thinks he can just leave me here, for dead?_ Kynarus tried to control the sudden flow of rage he felt wash through him, slowly rising to his feet and looking around for the submachine gun that had fallen from his right-hand when he landed. It was lying close by and he quickly snatched it up, ducking back down behind the nearest barricade as he heard a few weapons open fire in his direction. There were still MCA officers here and they seemed rather determined to take him down, especially since he had killed so many of their fellow officers. He had even killed the Warden of the prison; an act which he was beginning to think wasn't such a good idea.

With him out of the picture, Dieter could simply do what he pleased with Katherine and would get what he wanted when Schraeder returned. Kynarus knew he would have to get to Klaus and Schraeder and that meant pursuing them back to the extraction zone where they were to be picked up from. At first he thought that they wouldn't be able to make it through the prison unscathed by this thought was quickly quelled when he realized that Schraeder was probably a powerful biotic and that these MCA officers weren't exactly masters of combat. He himself had gotten this far without getting hurt; he doubted simple law enforcement officers could stop a trained soldier like Klaus and a powerful biotic like Schraeder.

Kynarus knew he would have to figure something out soon enough, he could see several of the officers at the other end of the room were moving out from cover and making their way towards him. He was alone and against all of these armed and dangerous opponents, a circumstance he wasn't entirely unfamiliar with. He was a mercenary after all and a mercenary had to know how to get a job done by themselves with the odds against them.

He didn't have much time, he realized this much. He had no idea how much time had passed since Schraeder had tossed him across the cellblock with a biotic throw but it couldn't have been more than a few minutes, otherwise those MCA officers would have handcuffed him already. He had seen Klaus and Schraeder head for the stairwell and was probably close to leaving the Biotics Ward by now so Kynarus knew he would have to hurry, presumably blasting his way through whoever got in his way without spending too much time fighting the one group. He had to save Katherine from whatever harsh fate awaited her as well as get himself out of this prison and preferably off Mars altogether. He wasn't about to stay on this planet any longer than he had to seeing that he was in enough trouble with the local authorities.

_I'm coming for you, Katherine._ Kynarus swallowed, he realized there was little chance of him actually succeeding in this seemingly hopeless situation. If Klaus and Schraeder make it back onto Dieter's frigate then it was curtains for Katherine although Kynarus shuddered to think about what would happen if Dieter didn't kill her. He obviously liked her from the way he looked at her but seemed to be a man of class and control, not resorting to the levels Rellin Kia'Shan had gone to. There was no hope for that scarred turian and Kynarus knew he would probably end up killing him too.

He quickly ran through his mind the people that had to be killed in order to make sure Katherine was safe. There were a few of them, some of which he had no idea about their names but would know them on sight. There was Dieter, and then there was Klaus followed by Schraeder. Dieter and Schraeder would probably prove themselves to be tough opponents but Kynarus knew he would have to succeed or at the very least strike an effective deal with the two. Klaus, on the other hand, would probably prove to be a little easier seeing as he was the sort of reckless and careless soldier, too pig-headed to really prove much of a threat. Then there was that other biotic guy, the one Kynarus had first encountered on Talerian and then in the tunnels of the Citadel. Whoever he was he was in league with Dieter and would have to be knocked-off as well, just for good measure.

Currently Kynarus wasn't in a good position to carry out this personal agenda seeing as he was pinned down behind a metal barricade and only just beginning to regain his dazed senses. He checked his submachine gun, making sure the weapon was on at its full setting and ready to fire. He peeked over the top of the barricade, counting several MCA officers. Some of them were slowly making their way towards where he was hidden; probably coming to see whether or not he was dead.

Unfortunately for these few brave guards Kynarus was still well enough alive. The turian, still with a headache but otherwise alright, raised himself just above the top of the barricade while bringing the submachine gun he held in his right hand to bear. The few officers ahead looked a bit surprised to see him and went to raise their weapons, being a bit too slow to fire. Kynarus pulled the trigger on his submachine gun, firing a volley across the few exposed guards. Their armour vests did little to stop the bullets, the few exposed officers spinning slightly and falling. Immediately the other officers behind their barricades opened fire, forcing Kynarus to duck behind his barricade as the bullets pinged off of the metal. Some went over the top of the barricade but the officers were more intent on suppressing him than anything else. They were probably thinking of capturing him alive, something which Kynarus knew wouldn't be such a good thing for him.

Kynarus looked around, his attention shifting to the set of metal stairs at the far corner of the cellblock behind him. He could probably make it if he sprinted for it and any shots that hit him would be absorbed by his shields. He was just hoping his shields could hold out long enough for him to get to the stairs and start on his way up through the cellblock and back the way he came. He wasn't sure whether heading back the way he came was the right way, Schraeder and Klaus could already have started through some other path through the prison.

_Forget about them for now, I just have to concentrate on getting out of here!_

Kynarus stood up, firing towards the guards at the set of barricades ahead. Bullets pinged and left scorch marks in the metal and some of the guards ducked down behind the barricades, obviously preferring it if they didn't get shot. This took much fire off of Kynarus, allowing the turian to turn around and start running whilst firing back towards the officers.

He didn't stop running or firing, his accuracy diminishing the further he went. Bullets sprayed against the barricades of the officers but none actually made contact with any of the law enforcement officers, keeping them behind cover. Some of the officers managed to fire off a few pot-shots, some of which zipped through the air close to Kynarus. He heard and saw his shields ripple briefly when a couple of shots hit him from behind but he remained unharmed, ceasing his firing as he made it to the stairwell.  
As soon as he stopped firing the officers behind the barricades got up and trained their weapons in his direction. Rifle and pistol fire cut a swathe through the air, sparking against the metal of the stairs as the turian ran up them a few steps at a time.

Sparks flew and holes were blown through the metal steps as he sprinted up them, swearing loudly as some of the bullets hit his kinetic shields. He continued on up the stairs regardless, managing a glance below and seeing that the guards had started pursuing him, occasionally stopping to fire their weapons at him.

Kynarus made it to the top level of the cellblock, coming off of the staircase at the same sprinting pace he had been using to climb the stairs. Behind him he heard shouts as the guards started up the stairs themselves, giving the turian a moment's relief from the bullets that had been flying around him. He stopped to catch his breath, looking around the cellblock. Up ahead he just caught a glimpse of a familiar figure stepping into what looked to be an elevator, waving in his general direction.

It was Klaus and he was smiling at him, using that wide and annoying smile. Kynarus could see Schraeder standing behind him but didn't get much of a look, the elevator doors closing seconds later. He knew that he would have to catch up with them somehow and started running towards the elevator, his muscles aching from all the effort he was expending. He was tired from all of this running around but he knew he had no time for rest; he had to get to Klaus and Schraeder before they made it back to Dieter's frigate.

Behind him some of the officers had climbed the stairs and began shooting at him. Kynarus was already halfway to the elevator and managed a glance behind him, watching as several bullets laced the air around him. He suddenly lost his step and fell backwards along the fairly smooth floor, sliding along almost uncontrollably. Bullets blew chunks out of the floor around him and Kynarus seized his chance to return fire, raising his submachine gun as he went sliding and pulling the trigger.

Two of the officers fell but Kynarus was unable to continue shooting when he ended up sliding into the wall next to the elevator doors. It was a fairly painful collision but he hadn't hit his head, just his legs. He quickly recovered, rising onto his feet somewhat unsteadily and going for the elevator doors.

To his dismay they didn't open, no matter how many times he pressed the buttons on the panel by the elevator's door. He realized that it wasn't opening because the elevator was in use so he looked towards the display above the door, seeing as the numbers changed while the elevator went up. First it was 'SL1-2' before changing to 'SL1-1'. Kynarus realized that Klaus and Schraeder were heading for the ground level. He had no time to lose but he knew he couldn't use the elevator, quickly looking around for some other means of getting ahead of whom he was pursuing.

He spotted the nearby door marked 'STAIRCASE' and ran towards it just as several bullets blew chunks out of the walls near him. He ignored them, trying the old fashioned manual door and finding that it was locked. Gathering whatever strength he could muster he kicked the door in with his right leg, hearing the hinges give way. The door swung open, allowing him entrance into the high and winding square staircase.

_More stairs…that's just great._

Kynarus tried catching his breath before starting up the many flights of stairs but didn't get much of a chance, catching sight of a pair of officers as they came running down the stairs in front of him. They saw him but Kynarus was quicker, diving to one side as they opened fire. Another officer came through the smashed open door as the other two fired, receiving several stray rounds before falling into a bloodied heap.

Kynarus rose to his feet, holding his submachine gun at the ready. The two officers that had come running down the stairs looked awfully surprised that they had just gunned down one of their buddies and seemed to hesitate before they went to shoot at Kynarus again. The turian took advantage of this hesitation, lunging towards one of the guards and grabbing his rifle, pulling it free of his grip and clubbing him around the back of the head with it. The officer stumbled down the few steps and hit his head on the wall, a large bloody red smear appearing where his head made contact as his body slumped lifelessly to the floor.

The other officer turned around, rifle raised at the ready. A few more officers came storming through the smashed open stairwell door, Kynarus quickly taking in this dangerous situation before improvising. He grabbed the officer and held him in a headlock, placing him in front of the turian as the other officers fired. The officer Kynarus gripped suddenly tensed and writhed before going limp in his arms, his rifle falling from his grip and clattering onto the floor. Large bloody holes were blown into the officer, effectively shielding Kynarus from the brunt of the enemy weapons fire.

Kynarus held his submachine gun around the side of the dead officer he was holding up with his left arm, firing a volley across the doorway as he started backing his way up the stairs carefully. A few of the officers that had stormed through the doorway fell, the others retreating for whatever cover they could find.

Kynarus kept his bloodied human shield held in front of him as he made it to the first landing. He heard shouts from above and saw a few officers storming down the stairs. Two of them stopped and opened fire but Kynarus swung his bloodied human shield out in front of him, the bullets blowing more chunks out of the officer and leaving Kynarus unharmed. Kynarus returned fire from around the bloodied dead officer, the three guards upstairs stumbling down them in an amusing fashion. Their bodies came to rest near the turian as he and his dead human shield started backing up the next flight of stairs. Officers came running up the stairs from below, Kynarus shifting his aim down the last flight as they came into view. He fired; sprays of blood and the sounds of bodies thumping down the stairs signified that these threats had been effectively neutralized.

Kynarus, seeing that the flow of officers was diminishing, dropped his dead human shield which in turn stumbled down a flight of stairs and bowled over a pair of officers. With them out of the way Kynarus started running up the stairs, able to hear some distant shouts as more officers made their way into the stairwell from above and below. Kynarus found his way to the door marked with 'G1' which he figured meant the ground floor. Pushing it open he found himself in what looked to be some sort of dank prison block, much different to the ones down in the Biotics Ward.

This prison block was a dank, dark and concrete corridor with jail cells spaced out on either side. The floor was wet and cold, a few loose pipes in the ceiling dripping occasionally. As Kynarus started through the corridor he noticed that many of the cells were open and those that were closed were vacant. To make sure no one had pursued him from the stairwell Kynarus glanced behind him, looking towards the door and able to hear distant shouts and footfalls. He quickly looked in the nearest open cell for something which might slow down his pursuers, snatching the foam mattress off of the metal bed and using the metal bed itself to block the door. It would slow down his pursuers for a while, jamming the doorknob and rendering it un-useable until someone decided to kick the door down. Kynarus knew he would have to be out of this part of the prison before that happened.

Continuing through the dank cellblock which he figured was a standard maximum security section; he passed a few surveillance cameras. Well, the moving lens on the walls had once been surveillance cameras until some prisoners had decided to smash them with whatever they could find. A few loose chunks of stone lay at the base of a surveillance camera that had been ripped from its socket, the camera itself lying on the floor with several loose cables running from its end.

The silence of the cellblock was abruptly broken when a man's voice sounded over the loudspeaker, resounding throughout the whole prison.

"_Attention! Attention! Prisoner riot in main courtyard and cellblocks A through to F. All security personnel to report to these areas! Use of lethal force authorized!"_

Kynarus realized that the prison was more or less in a state of disorganized chaos. That may explain the broken cameras and empty cells, the prisoners having effectively broken out and begun rioting. They wouldn't stand much of a chance if they didn't get themselves proper weapons, the only ones the prisoners would have would be improvised melee implements. Kynarus knew that his job of escaping the prison would be made a bit easier if the guards were caught up trying to quell the many riots that had broken out through the prison.

He came to a corner, a single light illuminating the corner from a point underneath a smashed surveillance camera. He stopped, hearing footfalls and shouts from around the corner and carefully edging his way around with his submachine gun raised. He watched as a trio of prisoners were running down the corridor towards him, the flashlight beams from guards behind them breaking the darkness.

The pair of guards behind them opened fire with their rifles, cutting down two of the prisoners while the last one came running towards Kynarus, eyes wide. He was unarmed; as had been the other two and he looked frightened for his life.

"Help me! Help ME!"

The prisoner seemed to be pleading Kynarus for help but unfortunately the turian didn't react fast enough, the two officers down the hallway opening fire and cutting the prisoner down with ease. His lifeless and bloodied corpse came to rest near Kynarus and for a moment the turian was surprised, if not shocked, at the sheer brutality he was seeing. Prison guards shooting unarmed prisoners? What the hell were these humans thinking?

The two guards ahead saw him illuminated in the single working light of the corridor, bringing their rifles up and making sure their flashlight beams hit him in the face. Kynarus shielded his eyes with his left hand, making sure he kept his submachine gun held behind himself and out of view.

"You must be that fucking turian we've been ordered to kill!" One of the guards exclaimed with noticeable hatred, holding his rifle up and pointing it towards the turian, "goodnight, lizard boy!"  
Kynarus brought his submachine gun from where he was holding it behind himself, bringing it up and strafing his fire across the two guards. They both fell, one pulling the trigger of his assault rifle in some sort of death-grip which sent the weapon firing wildly into the walls and then the floor. Both officers fell into a heap on the damp and dirty concrete floor, Kynarus feeling some satisfaction as he watched these two brutes die. Without much more thought about it he started down the dark corridor, his sensitive turian eyesight helping him find his way through the darkness.

Kynarus found his way through the corridors of the dingy cellblock, passing the corpses of several prisoners who looked to have been gunned down by overzealous guards. The turian eventually came to a set of metal gates which took up the width of the corridor. Both were shut but the opening mechanisms were obvious, a large metal lever in the wall by the gate. Looking around to see if the way was clear, Kynarus pulled the lever on the wall and waited for the gate to slide open. It did so but not without screeching loudly, the young turian wincing when he realized any nearby guards would be instantly alerted by this noise.

A sign on the wall read 'ONLY ONE GATE OPEN AT ANY ONE TIME'. Kynarus figured that this was the way the prisoners were brought in, the guards opening the gates while the prisoners were escorted through. Kynarus ignored the instructions on the signing completely, opening the next gate while leaving the previous one open. He continued into a slightly wider corridor which lacked the cells, indicating that Kynarus had found his way out of this particular cellblock.

The corridor branched off into a few different directions, Kynarus stopping to try and figure out where he should actually be going. He looked at the signs which pointed into the different hallways, the one marked 'COURTYARD' getting the most of his attention. Not because of the courtyard itself but because of where else the corridor lead. Underneath the word 'COURTYARD' were the words 'GARAGE BLOCK'. Kynarus knew that if he was to get to the extraction zone way out in the barren plains of Mars he would need some sort of vehicle and it was safe to assume that Klaus and Schraeder were thinking the same thing. Kynarus started down this corridor, passing a large wide branch-off from this particular corridor that went directly to a large bulkhead door. That was probably the way out to the landing pad; it was safe to assume this since one could easily read the signs above the door.

Regardless of the obvious way out Kynarus knew he would need some sort of vehicle if he was to successfully get to the extraction point before Schraeder and Klaus did. He started running, passing several thick glass windows which provided a view of the exterior landing pad. Outside it looked like the prisoners had finally started making more than just trouble, a few fuel tanks outside exploding as prisoners ran around throwing grenades and firing acquired weapons. The landing pad was currently closed off from the outside air but it probably wouldn't be long before some intelligent human opened it and depressurized the whole section, killing the many prisoners that were running about outside now.

Kynarus came to a large metal door, a small office by its side. It was obvious this was the one guard post that was made to separate the cellblocks from the administrative sections but since there were no guards here Kynarus easily got the door open, fiddling with the panel by the door. Behind it was a much less dank and dingy corridor, being more of a grey metal sort of design than the previous concrete and stone. The whole prison was a mish-mash of differing architecture, indicating where extensions had been added to it over the years. It was unsurprising to see a few officers on the patrol inside these more refined looking corridors, passing a set of stairs that, according to the nearby signs, were where Kynarus needed to go.

Kynarus simply brought up his submachine gun and fired a volley across the trio of surprised guards. They fell, allowing him a clean run towards the stairwell which he took without much more thought. Around him red lights were flashing, sirens sounding and the sounds of distant weapons fire and explosions could be heard. That would probably explain why there were hardly any guards around; they were all elsewhere trying to subdue the riots.

Kynarus arrived in a short corridor which ended in another large, metal door. A pair of guards was standing watch by the door and as soon as they saw him they raised their rifles and fired, spraying bullets across the base of the stairs where Kynarus stood. The young turian dived to one side, raising his submachine gun and spraying several rounds at them. Both officers twirled slightly and fell.

Kynarus started towards the door, able to see through the nearby windows that he was right outside the courtyard. The bodies of prisoners and MCA officers littered the ground outside but there was actually little other signs of "life". The fighting, it seemed, had moved on. Kynarus knew he was nearing his goal and so tried the panel by the door, finding it to be unlocked. The door slid open, allowing him to step outside with his submachine gun held at the ready. He scanned the immediate vicinity and was satisfied that there were no threats.

The courtyard was bathed in sunlight, the large glass dome above keeping the oxygen in but keeping the UV rays out. The sunlight provided a welcome relief from the cooped interiors of the prison but Kynarus knew he wasn't here to sunbathe. Rather, he needed to get to the garage and currently he couldn't see any sign of how he was going t do that. The courtyard itself was large and circular, benches here and there providing for all the sitting needs of the prisoners. A few doors were along the sides, each with lines draw around them which told the prisoners to keep their distant. Fortunately no guards were around; most of the ones having been posted out here now lying dead nearby. Kynarus saw the sign on one of the doors which read 'GARAGE ACCESS' and he started towards it, having to step over a few corpses on his way. He stopped by the door, finding it locked. The panel itself looked to require some sort of keycard and Kynarus realized his best bet was checking the dead guards, a process which didn't take too long since he went for the nearest dead officer and quickly searched his pockets. Kynarus found a sort of red keycard and went back to the door, sliding it through the appropriate slit in the panel and watching with some satisfaction as the door opened.

Behind it was some sort of open area, thick glass at the ceiling keeping the oxygen in and UV rays out. Several large metal containers were scattered throughout the area. Up ahead was what was obviously the main garage access but as he approached he felt his heart jump a beat in dismay.

The two main garage access doors were blown half open, smoke and flames pouring from within the garage. Kynarus could make out the shapes of a few busted fuel tanks and realized that something must have ignited them, causing several flaming and smoking crates to block the way inside. The heat from the fuelled fires was a little too much; causing the young turian to take a step back from the burning wrecks and look around for some other way inside. He saw that these warehouse type areas ran right alongside the garage block and further.

Kynarus realized just how futile this whole expedition was. He would have to be lucky if he ever caught up with Klaus and Schraeder and even more lucky to stop them. How the hell was he going to get back onto Dieter's frigate? He felt a flow of rage and he angrily kicked a nearby container hard enough to hurt himself. His eyes were beginning to stream but he managed to swallow his emotions, telling himself not to give up. He had gotten this far already so there was no point in giving up now, especially when Katherine's fate hung in the balance. He suddenly had a brainwave, possibly the best idea he had had today.

He knew how to get on Dieter's frigate and felt like kicking himself for not figuring it out earlier. Since Dieter wanted Schraeder alive so badly it was the best thing to use against him. Kynarus would kill Klaus and then hold Schraeder captive and could swap Schraeder for Katherine. Dieter would have to give in if he wanted to see Schraeder alive.

With renewed determination Kynarus started running through the "exterior" areas, the light from outside getting dimmer as the sun went lower in the sky. This day on Mars was beginning to come to an end by the look of it and while he watched he heard a distinct rumbling sound, almost like an engine. The shadow of what looked to be some sort of airborne troop transport craft briefly blotted out of the sun's light, Kynarus catching a glimpse of the troop transport as it flew overhead. When he saw it he stopped in his tracks, feeling his blood run cold.

The craft had looked just like the ones the Cerberus commandoes had used on Talerian. Kynarus had no doubt about it and so resumed running, knowing full well he had to get out of the prison before Cerberus arrived in force.

_I'm coming to get you, Schraeder!_

* * *

Kynarus kept moving through the warehouse areas, the sun getting lower and lower in the sky until it was a mere disk close to the horizon. The light went from the bright orange-yellow to a dim purple, bathing the whole warehouse area in an eerie light. Lights on the walls began to flicker on when they sensed the diminishing light level, illuminating the "exterior" areas in a bright yellow light. Shadows were cast in all directions and the air went considerably cooler. Kynarus felt a slight chill run through him, things had suddenly gone quiet. The sounds of weapons fire and explosions had become distant and faint before they had faded completely. The prison seemed to go on forever unless Kynarus was going around in circles, he couldn't really tell. Everything looked the same, with crates, locked doors and a few vacant guard booths.

Today had been a long, tiring day. Kynarus could feel most of his muscles were aching from all the effort and physical work he had been forced to put up with today, running and shooting more to save himself than to help Dieter's plan work out. He was angry at how he could have fallen into the trap so easy; being left behind back in the Biotics Ward so the guards could apprehend him. Luckily they hadn't received a chance to do just that, Kynarus starting on his pursuit of Schraeder and Klaus.

He had no idea where they were now though. He knew his best bet was to steal a vehicle from the garage and get to the extraction zone before Klaus and Schraeder did or at the very least get there before they got picked up. If he didn't stop them then he may as well give himself up to the Mars Colonial Authority, there was no hope for either him or Katherine if Schraeder and Klaus made it back onto Dieter's frigate.

Kynarus had slowed to a steady jog now in order to conserve energy when he needed it. He realized just how thirsty and hungry he had become, taking the time to stop and check out one of the guard booths for supplies. He had found a small bathroom, drinking a large amount of water from the tap there before continuing onwards.

He was angry at himself for killing the Warden, the thoughts concerning this matter having been at the back of his mind until now. Now he was simply telling himself the Warden had deserved it, having profited from selling prisoners to Cerberus so the black ops group could experiment on them. People like that didn't deserve to live.

Kynarus was wallowing in his own thoughts, slowing to a brisk walk as he made his way through the warehouse areas. He was just so angry at practically everything that he was swearing under his breath in turian, knocking over small metal containers as he walked past them. Everything had just gone wrong for him since he had been captured by Dieter and woken up on the human's frigate. He had been told by Rellin some things that had somewhat shaken his faith in Lalias, his past love, but something was telling him that the half-synthetic and slightly crazed turian had been lying. Regardless, when Kynarus found his way back on board Dieter's frigate Rellin would be one of the people he would try and kill. Dieter and his goons had caused Kynarus so much trouble ever since he had gone to Talerian, threatening him and telling him the truth behind his pathetic existence.

According to them Cerberus had had a major hand in ruining Kynarus' life and there was no reason for the young turian to argue with them about that. It would make more sense to believe than thinking that terrorists had attacked the base on Hallian that day seven years ago, the day after he and Lalias had slept together. They had put that off for so long that when they had finally done it Lalias had been killed the next day.

Kynarus shook his head. Why was he thinking about all of this now? He had far more urgent issues at hand, including getting into the garage block and finding himself a ride out of the prison. He was getting tired of getting shot at by MCA goons and all he wanted to do was get reunited with Katherine. He hadn't seen her since he had been captured, having left her alone at the motel back in the Wards on the Citadel the morning after they had slept together…

He realized that Katherine could very likely end up the same way as Lalias in relationship terms: they would sleep together once and then she would be killed soon after, as if Kynarus brought bad luck or something. This thought didn't help the turian very much; it just made him feel angrier and more determined to kill Dieter.

He rounded a corner into a large, open courtyard type area. A fair distance ahead he could see a few large garage type doors set into the side of a structure, perhaps even the garage itself. He looked around, there didn't seem to be much in the way of life in this particular open area and so he started towards the doors with renewed determination, knowing that he was near his goal and wasn't going to get stopped by anyone.

As if on cue a group of armour-clad figures rounded from a corner up ahead. Kynarus stopped in his tracks, his eyes scanning across the seven armed armour-clad humans and then resting on the one who wasn't wearing a helmet. They were all in the same sort of armour that the Cerberus commandoes on Talerian had been outfitted in so Kynarus had no doubt who these people were. The one without a helmet stood at the front of the group while the other six Cerberus commandoes spread out behind him, weapons raised. Kynarus could see each had their rifles trained on him and so casually held his submachine gun at a low angle, realizing there was very little chance he would be able to survive long enough under their combined fire to fire off a shot himself.

Regardless the chances of his survival, Kynarus simply held his ground. He had no reason to move since that would just give them an excuse to shoot at him. Instead, he let his eyes rest on the lead figure who began to approach him, stopping a few metres away and gazing at the young, weary-looking turian. The unhelmeted figure was Johannes, the bodyguard that Kynarus had first met in Chora's Den when he had met Colonel Sommers for the first time. That seemed like such a long time ago but in reality it might have been three weeks ago, maybe a little more. Johannes was no different save for the fact his right hand had two fingers missing, explaining why he wore his pistol on his left side for his left hand to reach down and grab. Kynarus doubted Johannes would have any trouble shooting accurately with his left hand, something which Kynarus himself couldn't do very well.

Johannes regarded the young turian with a slight smirk, as if he found something amusing. His left hand floated near his holstered pistol while the six other commandoes kept their rifles trained on Kynarus, no sign of shaking or hesitation in their solid grips.

"You're obviously Kynarus Vakarian," Johannes said in his typical South African accent, "you're the one turian that's managed to cause a considerable amount of trouble for my employer…"  
"Who is your employer?" Kynarus asked, interrupting the human who gave a rather annoyed looking expression. Kynarus wanted some answers concerning Cerberus right now, more because he wanted to stall Johannes long enough to figure something out before the shooting started.

Johannes raised an eyebrow, taking a moment to answer. Chances were he didn't know who his employer was.

"I don't see why you need to know," Johannes said, "after all, you're just a turian. You're just another alien that needs to be purged to ensure humanity's survival. And that's why I'm here."  
"You're here to 'purge' me, right?" Kynarus wasn't too sure what he was supposed to think, especially when the word 'purge' was used in such a manner. These Cerberus types seemed awfully fanatical, he could tell just by looking at the wild look in Johannes' eyes.

"You're obviously not stupid then," Johannes said, his left hand clutching the butt of his pistol. Kynarus raised his submachine gun, seeing the other six Cerberus commandoes tense while their trigger fingers tightened dangerously on their rifle's triggers. No one fired, possibly in fear that they might just be the one Kynarus gunned down. However, the young turian knew just who he was going to take down first, pointing his submachine gun straight at Johannes.

The human didn't flinch, rather he smirked again. This smirk made Kynarus feel a little uneasy but he didn't show it, holding his submachine gun at the ready so that he could fire at short notice.

"Not only am I here to get rid of you, I'm here to make sure your Corporation friends don't escape," Johannes continued, "we all know why they're here. We're just not really sure why you're here."

Kynarus shrugged. He wasn't about to tell Johannes the whole story and thought he would let the human keep talking, he seemed to be enjoying listening to the sound of his own voice.

"We also know our only link to finding the package is through Schraeder, the prisoner you so kindly helped escape," Johannes said, "so, we're going to secure him and get off of this rock."

"This prison…It belongs to Cerberus, doesn't it?" Kynarus asked. Now he wanted some answers, things might make more sense to him if he was actually aware of what was going on. There were too many unanswered questions, some which Johannes may know the answer to. If he did then it just stalled the human and his goons for a little while longer, allowing Kynarus to continue formulating some sort of escape plan.  
Johannes didn't look at all fazed by the amount of length questions Kynarus was asking him, happily replying with obvious pride about the Cerberus organization.

"This prison is one of our assets," Johannes explained, "what better way to get test subjects than from a prison? A lot of the prisoners here are the types of people no one really gives a shit about and would prefer to be dead, making them perfect subjects for us to conduct our research on. I think it's a good system, taking prisoners from here. Don't you agree?"

_No, I don't agree._

Kynarus didn't answer verbally; he preferred to let the human keep talking about how good Cerberus was and so forth while he figured out some sort of plan. He was currently resting on the idea that if he moved off to the left he would have only a short distance to cover before he was behind one of the large containers scattered throughout the area. His shields should hold out till then and he would make sure to take Johannes out first, seeing as he was the most annoying human of the group.

"You shouldn't be too concerned about the scum of humanity," Johannes said, obviously referring to the prisoners, "they're helping our organization achieve what it's always wanted to achieve: the ultimate super soldier. Sure, there have been plenty of setbacks but I think we're getting pretty close…"

Kynarus didn't let Johannes finished, raising his submachine gun and starting to one side. He squeezed his submachine gun's trigger, the weapon shaking about in his grip as it sprayed rounds upon Johannes and one of the Cerberus commandoes. The commando's shield failed and a spray of blood followed, his body going limp and twirling slightly as he fell. Johannes, however, dived to one side and pulled out his pistol, landing on the ground with his weapon raised as he opened fire towards Kynarus.

The other five commandoes opened fire, rifle rounds filling the air as Kynarus dived behind the large container, his kinetic shields rippling from the many shots that came his way. They almost failed but he was behind the container before they went out completely, somersaulting upon his landing and rising back onto his feet. He put his back against the container, leaning around the side and watching as the commandoes scattered, Johannes getting back onto his feet and firing in the young turian's direction. Kynarus ignored the few shots that hit the container close to him and stuck his submachine gun around the side, spraying bullets at Johannes but unable to get a bead on the human as he ducked behind a set of metal crates. One of the other commandoes came running from a container ahead and of to Kynarus' right, firing his weapon as he tried to advance.

Kynarus ducked behind the container as the bullets slammed into it a little too close to him for comfort but he quickly recovered, leaning around the side and emptying several bullets into the commando's general direction. The Cerberus goon fell forwards, his shields failing and a few spots of blood appearing on the front of his armour. His rifle went flying and clattering onto the stone floor, sliding a fair distance before coming to rest against a container.

Kynarus moved around to the other side of the container, able to hear as round after round pummelled into the front of the metal container. None were making it through, whatever was inside doing an effective job of stopping the high-velocity rounds. Kynarus leaned around the other side, able to see part of one of the Cerberus commandoes where they were taking cover and so fired, watching as the commando fell into a heap.

There was a momentary lull in the suppressing fire against the container as a few of the commandoes decided to try and advance but Kynarus surprised them by rolling from behind the container and firing when he came back up a short distance later, spraying a volley of fire across two of the commandoes and watching them fall. The last commando, a woman by the look of it, started running for the nearest container but Kynarus simply kept his weapon's trigger held down as the commando went running, watching her stumble forwards from her own momentum and slam into a pile of metal containers, knocking a few of them over with loud clanking noises. She didn't get back up, leading Kynarus to believe that all but Johannes had been accounted for. He slowly rose to his feet, satisfied with the work he had achieved and about to start searching for Johannes when he felt the cold metal of a gun barrel pressed against the back of his neck.

"I'm going to finish you off, you scaly piece of shit," Johannes said from behind, his voice laced with seething hatred, "and I'm going get a fucking promotion because of it…"  
Kynarus didn't move, rather he simply started thinking about what he should do. Wait too long and Johannes would shoot him, be too quick and Johannes would shoot him. The timing had to be just right, something which Kynarus had perfected over his years as a mercenary.

He swivelled around, catching Johannes off guard and knocking his gun wielding left hand away. Within seconds he had his submachine gun raised and pointed straight into the human's face, Johannes bringing his pistol back up and pointing it into Kynarus' face. For the second time today Kynarus found himself in a standoff, staring into the human's eyes while the human stared into his. Kynarus could see the sheer amount of hatred in them and he realized he would find it hard to reason with anybody who hated his species this much. Cerberus certainly made sure its goons were loyal, even to the point of insanity. Kynarus, however, didn't show any doubt and kept his gun trained on Johannes at all times.

"Go ahead, I'll make sure you die with me," Johannes said in an intimidating fashion, his grip on his pistol's trigger tightening appropriately, "go on…"

Kynarus didn't say anything, allowing Johannes to keep egging him on. The human must have known that Kynarus' kinetic shields wouldn't work at this close range but the same went for Johannes, making this standoff fair and equalized. It would have kept going if it wasn't for the single, enormously loud and echoing gunshot that echoed throughout the warehouse.

Kynarus hesitated, trying to find the source of the gunshot and who had done it. For a second he thought it might have been Johannes but realized neither he nor the human had fired their weapons. Johannes had an odd look on his face, as if he was surprised about something but was so surprised he didn't say anything. Instead, he stumbled forwards and almost landed against Kynarus. The turian took a step back from the dead human, letting Johannes hit the floor face down whilst looking at the large jagged and bloody hole that had been blown in the back of his head.

_What the…?_

Kynarus shook off his surprise, decided to take it as more of a convenient happening. He looked up and straight ahead, weapon raised as his eyes rested on the familiar figure standing about seven metres away. He recognized the long-coated human instantly and realized it made sense that if Johannes were here then this human would be here. What didn't make sense was why he had just shot his own bodyguard.

Colonel Sommers didn't look at all fazed by what he had just done, simply lowering the old fashioned looking revolver he held in his right hand and eyeing Kynarus with some caution. He noticed the turian's surprise and simply shrugged, holding up his revolver so the turian could see it better.

"The bullet went through his shields because of the low velocity rounds I used," the Colonel explained, "they travel just below the activation speed of standard kinetic shields and thus don't cause them to activate. Very handy invention, I must say…" The Colonel was yet to explain why he had killed Johannes, acting in a surprisingly casual manner and completely ignoring the submachine gun Kynarus was pointing at him.

"But…why did you kill him?" Kynarus asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice, "he was one of your own men…"

The Colonel shrugged, almost innocently.

"He was reckless. He killed innocent civilians and he brought far too much attention towards Cerberus and myself than necessary. He had to be removed for the greater good." There wasn't a hint of remorse in the Colonel's voice; he said all this with a cold detachment. He didn't really care about Johannes; he was right about the now deceased human having been a bit reckless…

The Colonel raised the large silver revolver and pointed it towards Kynarus. The turian gripped the trigger on his own weapon in response but the Colonel didn't seem to care. He simply took shifted his aim a little and fired, the submachine gun in Kynarus' right hand going flying from his grip. The turian stood, surprised and able to hear the clatter nearby as the weapon hit the floor, way out of reach.

The Colonel showed the hint of a smile, getting ready to fire again. Kynarus went for his pistol and the Colonel only took careful aim, firing once more. A sudden hot, searing pain shot up through Kynarus' right arm from his hand. The turian grunted, holding up his hand to his face to get a closer look while the pain stung badly, making his eyes water. His heart jumped a beat when he saw what had happened, his eyes widening with sheer shock.

The middle finger of Kynarus' right hand had been blown clean off, dark blue blood oozing out of the ragged stump. The pain was stinging at the exposed and bleeding flesh and he clutched at his wound with his left hand, looking around wildly for his missing finger. Wherever it was it wasn't in sight, probably sent flying a fair distance from the power of the bullet.

A turian only had two long, clawed fingers as well as a slightly shorter "thumb". With his middle finger completely gone he realized that now it would be near impossible for him to grip a gun properly, let alone shoot straight. He still had his left hand in full working order though, which was a welcome relief. However, he knew quite well that his right hand had been his dominant hand and that his left could never live up to its performance.

Kynarus looked back towards the Colonel, seeing that he had lowered his big revolver and was watching the young turian with some curiosity. The young turian in question stood up straight holding his wounded right hand low and close to his stomach while his left hand started towards the pistol holstered at his waist. The Colonel didn't seem too concerned about this, letting the young turian get a grip on the butt of the pistol.

"Go ahead," The Colonel said, a grin forming on his cold and calculating features, "I don't like killing unarmed opponents."

Kynarus unsteadily removed the pistol from its holster with his left hand, ignoring the pain in his right and the sudden craving he had for a hit of some illicit substance, preferably the mysterious red sand. He shook his head, noticing that he had begun to get a little light-headed. It was probably withdrawal and it would only get worse the longer he went without satisfying his cravings.

Kynarus realized he was more or less screwed unless he came up with some ingenious scheme to get out of this situation. The Colonel's gun would shoot straight through his shields and the skill the human had with a weapon would ensure that no bullets were wasted. Kynarus, on the other hand (quite literally) was stuck using his inferior left-hand and faced with an opponent who had extreme skill with a sidearm. The odds were against him, although when he thought about it there had rarely been a time when they hadn't been against him.

Kynarus looked around for anything that might help him get out of this situation, seeing the small stack of crates just to his right. They weren't much now but he was willing to try anything to stop himself from getting gunned down by Colonel Sommers and so edged a little closer towards the stack, keeping his pistol raised and watching as the Colonel brought his up. Their eyes met for a brief moment, the Colonel's grin remaining on his face as he went to fire.

"It's a shame, really. I would have preferred it if I didn't have to kill you but these orders come straight from the top…" The Colonel had started talking in a pitying tone, as if he regretted what he was about to do. He never had a chance to finish, with a single lunge with his right arm Kynarus sent a lightweight metal crate flying towards the surprised Colonel. It hit him square in the side of the face, knocking him backwards and making him fire his revolver. The shot echoed throughout the area but it went off wide, harmlessly blowing a small chunk out of a nearby stone wall. Kynarus, ignoring the sudden burst of pain he felt in his right hand after striking the crate, raced over to where the Colonel was lying.

The Colonel looked a little dazed, his revolver lying a short distance from where his right hand was. Kynarus kicked it away from his reach as a precaution, managing a weak turian smile when he saw the large bruise and superficial cut that had formed on one part of the Colonel's forehead. He seemed to regain his senses, his eyes fixing on Kynarus while his hands went frantically searching for his weapon.

"Shit…" The Colonel muttered quietly, his movements ceasing when Kynarus crouched down and waved his pistol in front of the Colonel's face. Now that the young turian had him where he wanted him they could have a much more formal conversation, one that didn't involve getting fingers blown off of hands. Kynarus suddenly felt really annoyed at that and so, rather than just point his pistol in the Colonel's face, he put one hand to his throat and gently squeezed to prove his point. The Colonel's face almost went red with anger but he quickly returned to his normal demeanour, the red fading from his cheeks but the anger remaining his eyes.

"You shit, Vakarian. You fucking piece of shit…" The Colonel was still noticeably annoyed but Kynarus simply pressed the barrel of his pistol against one of the Colonel's cheeks, his insults soon ceasing.

"I want answers," Kynarus said, which was true enough. He doubted the Colonel had much to say about Dieter's plans but he would have plenty to say about Cerberus and the organization's plans. Kynarus realized he was wasting a bit too much time but knew this could be his only chance for some proper answers before he finished off the Colonel.

"Answers?" The Colonel scoffed, quite unlike his usual cold and somewhat casual demeanour. The seriousness of his situation was obviously getting to him. "Why would I tell you anything?"

"Because I'll blow your face off if you don't," Kynarus said, his grip tightening on the trigger. The Colonel's eyes went down to the pistol that floated mere centimetres from his right cheek and then back up at Kynarus. There was a hint of uncertainty on the human's face which was enough to tell Kynarus that he was succeeding in putting doubt into the Colonel.

"If you kill me I'll just be replaced, probably with someone more ruthless than me. So, go ahead and shoot you turian piece of shit…" The Colonel sounded rather adamant but Kynarus could tell it was a farce. The Colonel was trying to bluff him into not shooting, that was all. Well, it wouldn't work unfortunately for the disadvantaged Colonel.

"Give me a break," Kynarus said doubtfully, shaking his head. He was beginning to get impatient and absolutely fed-up with the sheer lack of information he was receiving about this whole business to do with the package. First the Colonel had been rather cryptic telling him about it back on the Citadel when Kynarus had accepted the seemingly routine job of going to Talerian to find it. Then he had received even less answers from Dieter and Heinrich Walstedt. Now it seemed the Colonel was going t be just as annoying.

"I'm pretty sure you don't want to die," Kynarus said, pressing the barrel once more against the Colonel's cheek, "So tell me what I want to know…"  
"You haven't asked me anything yet…" The Colonel sounded especially strained but kept a straight-enough face, eyeing Kynarus carefully.

Kynarus didn't like the tone the Colonel was taking with him and was sure enough to force the barrel of his pistol harder against the Colonel's cheek so it depressed into his mouth. Kynarus backed it away a little when he saw that the Colonel was about to speak, giving the human's mouth room to move.

"Go fuck yourself," the Colonel said with a grin. Kynarus seized his chance and struck the Colonel across the head with the butt of the pistol, hearing the human grunt and fall back dazed. Kynarus grabbed him by the collar and shook his around a little, trying to get him back onto concentrating on what he wanted to say.

"Tell me a little about Cerberus," Kynarus said, shaking the Colonel again as the human rested his eyes on the turian, "Who's in charge of your organization? One person or many? And why do you want the package? Go on and tell me…"

"The Illusive Man? Why he's in charge…" The Colonel sounded a little dazed, his voice changing in tone throughout the sentence. He looked at Kynarus and smiled broadly which was enough to annoy the young turian some more. "He always gets what he wants…"  
"Who is he? Why does he want what's in the package?" Kynarus couldn't help but feel some curiosity. The Illusive Man? Who the hell was that and what kind of stupid name was that?

"He doesn't have a name…" The Colonel trailed off, still dazed and semi-conscious. He slumped onto the ground, his eyes closing as he fell into unconsciousness. Kynarus had once again lost a source of information and thought of waking the human up but realized he had already wasted enough time already, knowing that he should be making his way into the garage instead.

Kynarus slowly got back up. He thought of shooting the Colonel and removing a major threat but realized that wouldn't achieve much except to bring the wrath of Cerberus onto him even more. He had already unnecessarily killed the prison Warden and still felt some guilt about that; he didn't want another unnecessary death in cold-blood on his conscience. He had enough to think about already anyway. Wasn't he meant to be pursuing Schraeder and Klaus, wherever they were?

Kynarus turned around and immediately realized his mistake. He felt a surprisingly strong hand grip him on the leg, pulling it out from beneath him and sending him onto the floor. He fell painfully onto his back and immediately felt the completely conscious and straight-thinking Colonel wrap something cold and thin around his neck, pulling tight with both hands. Kynarus realized it was some sort of strangling device and he put his hands to the fibre wire, pulling at it in a desperate bid to loosen the ever tightening grip it had around his throat. Even though he had a thick scaly turian hide it wasn't stopping the wire from having some sort of effect, gradually restricting his airways as the Colonel tightened his grip.

"Did you seriously think I was unconscious?" The Colonel said in an exasperated voice while the pair wrestled each other for supremacy. Kynarus could feel the blood rushing to his head, providing a rather uncomfortable sort of feeling that slowly began growing in intensity.

"You turians are stupider than I thought," the Colonel said. Kynarus, in his desperate bid to break out of this life-threatening situation, elbowed the Colonel in the face with considerable force. Immediately the grip on the fibre wire loosened, Kynarus lifting it off of his throat and tearing it from the Colonel's grip, tossing it aside as he turned to face the Colonel. He punched the surprised looking human in the face, knocking him flat onto his back. This wasn't enough though; Kynarus hit him again and again, straight in the face, until he was sure the Colonel wouldn't be getting back up.

Slowly rising to his feet Kynarus looked down at the bloodied and bruised face of the Colonel, being sure to pick up the dropped pistol and keep it held tightly in his left hand. He wasn't quite sure whether the Colonel was dead or not but he didn't care, he had already wasted enough time. He turned around, half-expecting the Colonel to grab him again but felt some relief when that didn't happen.

_Next time you won't be getting off so lightly, Colonel._

Kynarus had far more pressing issues at hand now than whether or not Colonel Sommers was dead, the young turian starting on his way to the doors that went into the prison's garage block. He was getting closer and closer to his goal, he could feel it. Hopefully he wouldn't need to get into anymore brawls with Cerberus goons but unfortunately for him there would be plenty more to come. Maybe Garrus had been right: Kynarus would _die_ on this last "assignment". It had already gone wrong several times, how much worse could it possibly get?


	25. Striking a Deal

**Location: **Mars Colonial Authority Maximum Security Prison, Amazonis region, Mars

Kynarus Vakarian was hurt and bleeding, his right hand left with only two of its three original fingers which rendered it useless if he wanted to hold a weapon. It was bleeding slowly, dark blue blood oozing from the ragged stump of flesh that had once been his middle finger. His pistol was clutched in his slightly inferior left hand as he jogged through the warehouse areas, the sky that was visible through the thick ceiling windows finally disappearing from sight and sending this part of the planet into darkness. The lights scattered throughout the warehouse areas were slowly flicking on as night fell, casting eerie shadows in all directions.

He was about to enter the garage, the lifeless bodies of about seven Cerberus commandoes scattered throughout the warehouse behind him. One of them had been Johannes, the seemingly sadistic bodyguard to Colonel Sommers. The Colonel himself lay motionless by a large container; having once fooled Kynarus into thinking he was unconscious. When he had come back up with the intent of strangling the young turian when his back had been turned Kynarus had then made sure that the Colonel wouldn't be getting back up for a while, if not at all.

Today had just become worse and worse as it had worn on. First he had been forced into coming along on this mission, if only to ensure Katherine's safety. Then most of the squad had been killed in a Cerberus trap, Klaus rather adamant that they should continue on. To follow that Kynarus had been left for dead by Schraeder and Klaus, something which the young turian was quite angry about. When he finally did catch up with Schraeder and Klaus, _if_ he actually caught up with them, he would make sure that the both of them knew not to betray him again. He wasn't quite sure what he would actually do to them but it wouldn't be good.

There were two garage doors, both locked shut and not opening. Both were marked with the words 'LOADING BAY 1C' which was close enough to a garage for Kynarus. There was a smaller metal door by one of the garage doors, this one opening as he approached and revealing a short but lighted up hallway behind it.

Kynarus checked the pistol he held in his left hand, finding that he felt a bit strange holding a weapon in his non-dominant hand. Sure, he had done it before but that had usually been when he had had another sidearm in his right hand to sort of dual wield. This time it was just the one gun in his left hand and he realized that all because of the Colonel's crack-shot skills with a weapon that he now had a disadvantage.

_I can't shoot very well with my left hand_, Kynarus thought, _thanks a bunch, Colonel._

He managed a glance behind him, back to where he had left the Colonel lying. For some reason the Colonel was gone and Kynarus quickly gazed around the immediate vicinity, trying to catch sight of the slippery human but found none. It seemed that Colonel Sommers had escaped or was just planning on sneaking up behind the turian. Whatever the case Kynarus knew he had to keep his wits about him, that guy was quite the sneaky type. Next time they met Kynarus would have to get him out of the way permanently, one way or another.

Kynarus knew he was close to his goal, loading bays like the one in front of him often had vehicles in them. All he needed was a nippy and agile sort of rover and he would be set, blazing his way out of the prison and leaving the MCA and Cerberus goons behind him.

He started into the short hallway, seeing that it ended at a short set of stairs. The stairs went up into the loading bay itself and from what he could see through the fence above him the bay was populated, not by officers of the Mars Colonial Authority but by several Cerberus goons. They were on patrol, weaving their way through the large containers and walkways above, keeping watch for the turian they were after. They probably were all after him, told to shoot on sight the young turian that had disrupted their organization's schemes one too many times.

Kynarus remembered what the Colonel had said minutes earlier about the organization's leader, known as the 'Illusive Man'. Whoever he was Kynarus knew just what t do if he met this Illusive Man and that would be to put a bullet right between his eyes before proceeding to shoot him a few more times. If he was in charge of Cerberus than he had a heck of a lot of blood on his hands, getting prisoners from this prison to conduct experiments on as well as removing anyone who got in his way. It seemed that Cerberus wasn't too fussy when it came to shooting their own soldiers, the Colonel having gunned down Johannes simply because he had become a bit of a problem.

Kynarus didn't like the way these Cerberus types seemed fanatically loyal since when an enemy was that loyal it would be hard to beat them. He was probably in deep trouble seeing as he was just a turian and Cerberus was a powerful galaxy-spanning organization but he didn't care, all he wanted was to get out of the prison and find Katherine. That would mean getting Schraeder to use as a bargaining tool with Dieter, he doubted the Zahni Corporation leader was uncivilised enough to pass up an old-fashioned prisoner exchange. First off though Kynarus would need a vehicle and as he started up the stairs he spotted just the one he needed, parked by the entrance/exit door of the loading bay.

The troubling thing was that there were several Cerberus commandoes in the way, patrolling at a steady pace through the loading bay and winding around the many large metal containers that were left scattered around the bay. Kynarus took one look at his situation, trying to count the commandoes and adding a few more onto the final number he reached since he was sure there were ones he couldn't see.

Kynarus stepped out into the loading bay, stepping behind a nearby container as a pair of commandoes came walking from up ahead. He looked up at the catwalks above, able to see that the three commandoes at various points on the walkways had not seen him yet. He knew he would be better off if he lay low, only engaging in a shootout with the commandoes if necessary. He had been outnumbered and outgunned plenty of times before, it's just this time he wasn't too faithful in his left-handed shooting skills. If he got into a shootout he would be at a disadvantage, being forced to get accustomed to shooting with his left hand seeing as his right was close to useless when it came to handling a weapon.

He looked at the ragged stump which had once been the middle finger of his right hand and wiggled it slightly. It was strange missing a part of the body, if it weren't for the pain he would still think it was there. He would find out the harsh truth when he went to grip something, stuck now with only his thumb and the outer finger. He couldn't believe his bad luck; the Colonel had made sure to put him at a disadvantage before going to finish him off. Unfortunately for Colonel Sommers, this young turian had been far craftier and wasn't about let some human with a thick accent shoot him in cold blood.

Kynarus leaned around the container he was hidden behind, able to see the pair of Cerberus commandoes he had hidden from was almost close to the end of the container, the two of them talking quietly and completely oblivious to his presence. They would probably see him if they went past the container and the only way out of that was to go around to the other side of the container, exposing himself to the commandoes patrolling the catwalks up above. This was the best possible position he could be in, at least for the time being. The two commandoes coming his way would prove to be a bit of a nuisance unless he figured out something fast.

He remained where he was, keeping silent and trying his best to breathe quietly. He glanced up at the catwalk above, noticing that the commando up there had stopped and had his back turned while he looked out across the other side of the loading bay. A cigarette burned from his mouth, indicating that he wasn't expecting the turian he had been told to kill to show up. This was probably the same case with the other commandoes which would give Kynarus the element of surprise. They were probably all expecting the Colonel or even Johannes to have taken care of the turian and had simply been posted to guard here, seeing as it had been Kynarus' obvious intention of getting out of the prison in a rover.

There was a better reason however, Kynarus seeing it when he managed a look down towards the other end of the massive loading bay. The whole place doubled as a sort of hangar, one half full of metal containers while the other was home to a landing pad. The Cerberus drop-ship was parked on the pad which sat at the far end of the bay, the large metal doors in the ceiling above it closed to keep the oxygen in and the bay pressurized accordingly. It seemed all the Cerberus commandoes that had arrived via the drop-ship were either lying dead outside or in this loading bay. Kynarus doubted it had been the only drop-ship, Cerberus troops were probably all over the prison in order to track down Klaus and Schraeder.

Kynarus held his breath as the two Cerberus commandoes approached, walking straight past him without noticing. There was only a metre and a half's space between the young turian and the two commandoes, Kynarus letting out his breath as he stepped from cover and came up behind the two commandoes.

They only noticed him at the last second but didn't even have a chance to turn around, Kynarus' military training kicking in as he put a hand each on the heads of the two commandoes and brought them together with considerable force. Both commandoes were dazed, their helmets having saved them from a definite knockout. Kynarus seized the opportunity during their dazedness and grab one of the commandoes, grabbing his neck and twisting it with a sudden but subdued _crack!_ The commando fell and Kynarus was upon the other one within seconds, slamming him loudly against the side of the metal container as this particular commando decided to put up a bit of a struggle.

Kynarus brought his left fist into the visor of the commando's helmet which covered three quarters of his face, leaving the mouth and chin visible. The visor cracked and a fine spray of blood and spittle followed, the commando's head snapping back and slamming painfully against the container. Kynarus threw the now unconscious Cerberus soldier aside brazenly, looking around to see if any of the other commandoes had decided to investigate the noise coming from the brief scuffle.

The commando who had been smoking a cigarette on a walkway above turned around, showing very little interest and probably assuming that the noise had been nothing. A look of surprise appeared on his face when he saw Kynarus, the cigarette falling from the human's mouth and leaving a thin wispy smoke trail through the air as it went. Kynarus didn't give the human a chance to react; rather he raised his pistol and fired a single shot. It didn't go exactly where he wanted it, having aimed for the chest but instead having got the commando in the visor. The visor itself exploded outwards, followed by blood and bits of bone. The commando's surprised face was well and truly gone, his limp body stumbling over the catwalk's railing and falling all the way down.

There was a dull _thud_ as the dead Cerberus soldier's corpse hit the floor several metres ahead of Kynarus. This was enough to get the attention of the other commandoes scattered throughout the loading bay, rifles being cocked and readied as the commandoes scattered to try and find the culprit. Kynarus knew he had more or less been found out, the turian stepping around the side of the container with his pistol raised and held tightly in his left hand. He saw a female Cerberus commando up ahead and fired without much thought, the bullets going wide as the commando ran for cover. Kynarus finally got some hits in, the commando's shields rippling before failing entirely. The next shot hit the commando in the legs and she fell to the floor, shouting loudly in pain.

Kynarus didn't bother finishing her off; instead he started in the general direction of the parked rover. His gaze flitted towards the catwalks above as a pair of commandoes trained their weapons on him from above. A few shots from Kynarus' pistol forced them to duck and briefly keep themselves safe rather than shoot at him, allowing the turian to get behind a stack of metal crates.

Ahead was a fairly open section of the loading bay, dead in the middle being the rover. Several Cerberus commandoes were scattering throughout the section of the bay ahead, taking cover and fixing their weapons on where the turian was taking cover. Above the pair of commandoes on the walkway came up to fire but Kynarus was faster, popping up from behind the stack of crates he was crouched behind and firing several rounds at the two high-up commandoes. One of them stumbled backwards as a few of the rounds connected with him, the commando's weight taking him over the top of the railing behind him. He shouted as he fell but the shout didn't last long, the commando landing with a rather loud _thump_ onto a metal container below. Kynarus couldn't tell whether he was just dead or crippled, either way suited him.

The female commando he had shot in the left leg was shouting again, calling for help. He could see her slowly crawling for cover behind a metal container, clutching at her thigh which was bleeding profusely. Her shouting was beginning to get on Kynarus' nerves so the young turian took careful aim, ignoring the sound of rifle fire from somewhere off to his left and simply pulling his pistol's trigger.

A blossom of red appeared in the side of the female commando's head and she fell silent, becoming still where she lay. Red had been smeared across the floor near the exit wound, mixed in with bits of brain and bone. Kynarus realized that maybe finishing her off hadn't been necessary but these second thoughts quickly disappeared when the first volley of bullets hit the crates he was crouched behind. He ducked his head down, his kinetic shields rippling briefly as a few of the rounds came too close for comfort.

_I'm definitely in trouble now._

Kynarus was once again outnumbered and outgunned, the five or six commandoes including one up on the walkway above were all firing at him. He was safe behind cover, the metal containers getting perforated with bullet holes but he knew it would be sooner rather than later when the commandoes tried flanking him. He looked around for a way out, able to see what looked to be some sort of fuel tank close to where the commandoes were taking cover. The commando up on the catwalk started moving, probably trying to find a better angle on his target.

Kynarus shifted his attention towards this particular commando and began shooting, the pistol kicking back slightly in his left hand as he fired. The commando's kinetic barriers rippled several times and failed, the bullets ripping through his armour and sending him stumbling forwards onto the catwalk. His rifle went clattering off of the edge, falling to the floor a several metres away. Kynarus looked back up at the commando, making sure he was dead before reverting his attention back towards the other commandoes taking cover amongst the containers ahead of him.

The fuel tank was of a standard size; a large orange barrel labelled with all sorts of 'DANGER' signs and was set in a grey metal pump station. It was close enough to the nearest group of commandoes to pose as a bit of a hazard, Kynarus now knowing what he would be best off doing to get himself a brief reprieve in this situation. He took careful aim with his pistol once more this time pointing it towards the fuel tank and firing a few rounds. Holes were scorched into the orange metal of the tank but nothing happened, proving to be a disappointment rather than anything else. He fired again and again, trying to get his shots on the same spot in order to weaken the armour there.

The nearby trio of commandoes soon realized what he was doing, ceasing their fire as they started up and began to make a run for it. Another shot later and the fuel tank exploded into a ball of smoke and flame which only lasted a few seconds, knocking aside a few of the smaller containers and spraying flaming fuel everywhere. The three commandoes that had been closest to it hadn't been quick enough to get away, ending up coated in burning fuel and falling onto the floor as flames licked at their armour. They writhed around on the floor in agony for a minute or two, each of their shouts and screams falling silent as they finally died.

The floor around the destroyed fuel tank was alight now, a strongly fuelled fire burning at the bottoms of the nearby containers and scorching the metal. The remaining Cerberus commandoes started shifting away from the fire and the smoking scorched corpses of three of their comrades, taking position amongst the containers to the right of where the rover was parked and resuming firing their weapons.

Kynarus had already gotten up from where he had been previously pinned down, the commandoes only noticing this at the last minute. The agonizing screams of the burning commandoes still rang through his mind but he pushed them to the back, knowing that he had far more important matters to take care of. He ignored the few bullets that tore through the air around him, diving behind a stack of crates as he started around the open floor that was around the parked rover. Ahead were the loading bay doors, leading straight out onto the surface of Mars and a sure fire way to get out of this hellhole of a prison. All he needed to do was fine a way to get the doors open.

Kynarus came to rest behind some containers, the enemy weapons fire leaving scorch marks on the containers but otherwise it didn't penetrate his cover. He quickly gazed around for some sort of mechanism to open the loading bay door, sliding on his suit's helmet while he did so. If he was going to open then the whole bay would be out of breathable air within seconds, possibly leaving the Cerberus commandoes to suffocate if they weren't quick enough. Kynarus saw the small booth by the loading bay door and the panel through its one window, the booth itself up ahead. All he had to do was get past the few Cerberus commandoes here and he would make it.

His helmet partially limited his vision but he quickly got used to it, able to see the few commandoes crouched behind containers up ahead and the flashes of their weapons when they fired. Kynarus returned fire, sending the commandoes back into cover for a brief instant. In this brief instant he stood up, running for a set of metal containers up ahead. The commandoes resumed firing, his shields rippling yet again as he dived behind cover whilst firing at the commandoes. One of them fell backwards in a slight spray of red, a definite sign of a kill.

Kynarus was only a short distance from the booth now and giving his shields a moment to recharge he stood up again, sprinting for the booth. As he ran he pointed his pistol towards the pair of commandoes crouched behind the containers ahead, firing in their direction and forcing them to duck back behind cover. He ran right around the containers; the pair of commandoes was now fully exposed. This was enough of an excuse for him to keep shooting, another one of the commandoes falling backwards under the intense and rapid fire. The other commando, another female one, got up and started running for a better position whilst firing her rifle. Kynarus dived once again, this time straight into the booth by the loading bay's doors as the rifle fire raked the walls above him and smashed out the booth's window. He turned around, seeing that there were another two commandoes making their way into position behind some small containers back near where he had run from.

_Don't these guys ever give up?_

Kynarus ignored the bullets that peppered the walls of the booth, keeping low as he crawled inside and looked up towards the panel in front of him. The most noticeable form of controls was the lever to one side of the panel marked with a variety of coloured warning stickers, some which read 'WARNING: DO NOT OPEN BAY DOORS WITHOUT SOUNDING ALERT BELL FIVE MINUTES PRIOR' and 'EQUIP YOUR BREATHING MASK AND ENVIROSUIT BEFORE DOORS ARE OPENED'. Kynarus ignored the warning about the alert bell and instead grabbed the lever, bullets raking the top of the control panel and sizzling a few of the circuits. He hoped they weren't any he needed as he pulled the lever, hearing an affirmative creaking sound as the large metal bay doors began to slide open. The two large doors began to slide open in opposite direction, revealing the orange-red rocky landscape of Mars behind. A dirt road winded off into the distance, passing a few smaller metal structures on its way.

Immediately there was a brief rush of air as the whole bay depressurized, the oxygen inside getting sucked out as the unbreathable carbon dioxide atmosphere flowed in. Kynarus was safe in his helmet and armour, standing up slowly when he noticed that the shooting had stopped. He looked towards the trio of commandoes up ahead, able to see that two had hurriedly put on their breathing masks while the other was writhing around on the ground, trying to breathe.

Kynarus seized his chanced during this momentary confusion, running out of the both and towards the grey rover parked up ahead. He heard weapons fire but he ignored it, chunks of the floor exploding at his feet as he ran for the rover, stopping behind it to catch his breath momentarily. He pulled open the rover's door and climbed inside, ducking as several rounds tore through the air and slammed into the side of the rover. He was protected well enough when he was inside though and so started on getting the rover working, fiddling with the control panels. He had experience in stealing vehicles, having done it before several times. It only took him a moment to find out what sort of security systems this rover had and within a minute he had ripped open a panel and had begun fiddling with the wires until there was a satisfying spark and the engine started.

Kynarus knew he didn't need to spend much longer inside the loading bay and instead floored it, seconds before one of the remaining Cerberus commandoes had made their way into the booth and pulled the lever. The doors had begun to close but Kynarus was through them without much hassle, heading out onto the barren plains of Mars once again. A thick cloud of orange-red dust was kicked up behind him by the rover's wheels as he sped along the dirt road. Kynarus realized he had made it and breathed a sigh of relief, glancing in the rear view mirror to check if anyone was following him. They weren't, allowing him to slow down a little and concentrate on where he was headed.

Kynarus knew where the extraction zone was since it was the same place where they had left their transport rover. It was probably still there and would make the perfect landmark as he got closer.

Kynarus looked around at the rocky landscape that spread out before him. The whole place had been doused into darkness, clusters of stars visible in the dark heavens. The landscape had changed from the bright orange-red of the day to a dull-purple of the night, Kynarus switching on the rover's headlights in order to get a better view of where he was going. Careful driving was necessary in such a place but he was still a bit nervous about being followed, occasionally glancing in the rear view mirror or turning his head to see whether he was being followed.

Cerberus wouldn't give up so easily, Kynarus knew this well enough. The large fortress-like structure of the prison had begun to shrink in size as the turian drove further and further away from it, hoping that he would never need to return there again. He had had enough killing and shooting to last him a lifetime but somehow he realized it wasn't over. He still had Klaus and Schraeder to take care of, unless they had already escaped Mars…

* * *

Klaus Mueller was standing outside of the transport rover, the very same one that had taken him and his team from the insertion zone and a few kilometres from the prison. He had found it where they had left it earlier in the Martian day, resting on top of a ridge which overlooked a barren but rocky plain.

Klaus was currently busy attempting to fix the antenna on top of the rover, having found that it had been loosened from place and had effectively cut out their communications. He had been working on it for the last ten minutes while Herbert von Schraeder, the person he had helped break out from the Maximum Security Prison only a few kilometres away, waited in the rover they had used to escape the prison.

Klaus could still remember what Dieter had told him about what to do during the breakout operation. It had sounded simple enough, getting inside the prison and freeing Schraeder but Dieter had specifically instructed him to make sure the turian, Kynarus, was left behind. After all, he was supposed to be the mastermind behind the whole operation and if the Mars Colonial Authority got their hands on him then the heat would significantly decrease on everyone else involved. Klaus hadn't cared too much about the turian; he had never liked the species and so had happily followed these orders.

Now it was just him and Schraeder and as far as they were concerned they were the only survivors of the operation. Kynarus was probably in the company of several MCA officers and was most likely getting the crap beaten out of him. He wouldn't last long when Cerberus found him, those Cerberus types had interrogation methods Klaus would prefer to not think about. He had seen their drop-ships arrive around the prison while he and Schraeder had escaped, Cerberus soldiers flowing out of each in an effort to secure the prison. As far as Klaus could tell the whole prison would need significant renovations thanks to the many riots the prisoners had effectively started, only for most of them to get slaughtered by the MCA guards.

Herbert von Schraeder seemed the quiet type, having changed into a suit of MCA armour which they had found in an armoury in the prison in order to get out of his obvious prisoner uniform. He hadn't said much since Klaus had broken him out and usually Klaus would be a bit annoyed, having preferred at least a lengthy 'thank you'. However, Schraeder wasn't your normal sort of prisoner especially since he had once been in charge of the Zahni Corporation.

It was a story full of more speculation than anything and this whole breakout operation had been the fallback plan when all the others had failed, mainly because of Cerberus and/or turian interference. Schraeder had once been in charge of the Corporation and had been the one to enact the search for the mysterious package. If anything, he probably knew where it was except that being in prison sort of limited one's communication options. Chances were that Schraeder had been sitting on the information about the package's location ever since he had been imprisoned. That's why Dieter wanted him to be broken out but the reason why it had been the last-ditch plan was simple and obvious enough: Schraeder would want his old job back.

Dieter liked being in charge, ordering people around and otherwise making sure the dream of the Corporation remained alive. When Schraeder had ended up in prison Dieter had made sure he was appointed in his place, having made sure to stick by Schraeder's side and generally suck up to him. He had obviously found it convenient when Schraeder had been thrown into prison since then he could run the Corporation his own way. With Schraeder out it was inevitable that there would be some disputes between the two and for now, it seemed, Dieter would have to put up with being second-in-command. Of course, once the package was found then it was very likely that Dieter would try "removing" Schraeder by any means necessary in order to get put back in charge. Klaus would rather enjoy watching the two dispute and also enjoy it when Dieter was forced back into the "right-hand man" position to Schraeder.

Schraeder called from inside the rover, having stuck on his helmet and roll down one of the rover's side windows. He stuck his head out, managing a frown through his helmet's visor as he glared at Klaus.

"Are you almost done?" Schraeder asked, his German accent rather noticeable in his voice, "because I would really like to get off of this planet as soon as possible…"

Klaus tried not to let Schraeder's near constant pestering get on his nerves, managing a glance over at the middle-aged German and shaking his head. Schraeder's eyes were especially piercing, glaring his way and seeming to stare right into his soul. Klaus found that this made him uneasy. There were rumours that Schraeder was not only a powerful biotic but a powerful psychic but Klaus didn't pay too much attention to the corporation gossip, even when Dieter claimed that Schraeder did seem to possess some sort of power. Apparently Schraeder's visions had been what had started off the whole search for the mysterious package. This seemed to be an awfully strange way to spend corporation resources but Klaus didn't question his orders, he just did as he was told and got paid for it.

"Yes…Almost…" Klaus replied through gritted teeth. That must have been the fifth time the somewhat impatient Schraeder had asked him and Klaus was already having some trouble keeping in his frustration. Schraeder could easily do it himself without Klaus' help but was probably not in much of a mood to kill him. Schraeder, from what Klaus had heard, was as ruthless as Dieter if not even more so. Getting into his bad books wouldn't be a good idea and so Klaus decided to tread carefully when around Schraeder.

"Hurry up then," Schraeder adding, bringing his head back into the rover, "I'm getting rather fed up with this planet. Everything's so…red. Or orange. And it's barren…"  
Klaus ignored Schraeder's ramblings and went back to work on the antenna. He looked around at the view the ridge gave him, noticing that the landscape looked very different in the night. Rather than the usual orange-red colours the landscape appeared a dark purple-blue while stars filled the sky above. The sky was almost taken up by them, far more than is visible from anywhere on Earth. The amount of artificial lights on Earth made it impossible to see a lot of stars and so observation from the ground had been somewhat limited.

Klaus turned back to the antenna and fiddled with it a little more, using a small screwdriver he had been holding in his left hand which he had retrieved from inside the rover to try and screw the antenna in place. It hadn't been easy but now Klaus saw that he had got it, fixing it into its appropriate position on the top of the rover. Seeing that it wasn't going to bother him anymore Klaus turned around to face the other rover where Schraeder was sitting inside. Klaus smiled and was about to call out to Schraeder and tell him they could organize a pickup when he felt something hard and cold strike him in the side of the head, his helmet only helping to make the blow daze him even more rather than knock him out completely. He was sent into a daze, falling off of his perch near the rover and flat into the sand below, his head throbbing painfully. He didn't see who it was that had struck him but he did have a feeling of who it might be…

* * *

Kynarus had parked the rover nearby, having made sure he had driven slowly and quietly in order to remain unnoticed. He had even switched off the rover's headlights, driving carefully as he neared the top of the ridge and stopping behind a set of large jagged rocks.

The turian knew he had only one chance at this and knew that it relied entirely on him remaining unseen. He held his pistol in his left hand, his right still throbbing dully from where his middle finger had been carefully shot off by Colonel Sommers earlier. Kynarus could see Klaus up ahead, appearing to be hard at work on something just on top of the rover. Klaus was standing on a small step ladder in order to reach it, fiddling with what appeared to be an antenna with a screwdriver. At first Kynarus couldn't find any trace of Schraeder until he saw this particular human stick his head out from the other, smaller rover which had obviously been the one they had used to get away from the prison. It was much like the one Kynarus had stolen and had the letters 'MCA' printed in bold and in a large size on the side.

Schraeder was outfitted in what appeared to be stolen MCA armour, sitting in the passenger's seat of the rover while he twiddled his thumbs. He was probably waiting for Klaus to finish whatever it was he was actually doing, Schraeder succeeding in making himself look very bored and had even began twiddling his thumbs.

_They don't suspect a thing…_

Kynarus had started to creep towards Klaus, remaining low and making sure he didn't step on any of the larger loose rocks near his feet. The sound of rocks falling would be a sure fire way to get noticed so the young turian was sure to step around them, making his way towards Klaus from behind while keeping his eyes fixed on the human at work.

Kynarus came to a reasonable distance, raising his pistol-wielding hand high in preparation for the first blow. He knew he would have to be quick, there was no telling what might happen if Schraeder saw him coming. A single biotic throw would be enough to put Kynarus out of action so already the turian was forming some sort of plan in his mind.

Klaus turned to the side, about to speak to Schraeder when Kynarus struck. He brought the butt of his pistol against the side of Klaus' helmeted head with enough force to send him falling from his step ladder and onto the ground. He remained dazed for a few moments, Kynarus turning his attention to the rover and watching as Schraeder began to reach for the pistol he had holstered at his waist. Kynarus fired once, blowing a large hole through the rover's windshield and into Schraeder's right shoulder. He heard the human shout as he went for the door, opening it and falling out of the side of the rover whilst clutching his bleeding shoulder with his right hand.

Kynarus turned his attention back to Klaus who was just starting to rise onto his feet. The young turian felt a surge of anger when his eyes met with Klaus', remembering the way he and Schraeder had left him for dead back at the prison. Klaus was just a no-good Zahni Corporation goon and deserved a good pasting which was what Kynarus went on to do, using the butt of his pistol to strike Klaus in the side of the head again. The human fell back onto the ground, groaning loudly but rising back onto his feet a few seconds later.

Kynarus kept his pistol trained on Klaus as he rose, ignoring the painful groans coming from Schraeder. He was having considerable trouble keeping his suit from expelling precious oxygen and was trying his best to block the hole blown in his armour, frantically trying to keep the oxygen he needed inside.

Klaus, meanwhile, had turned to face Kynarus and seemed to have a smile on his face. He was obviously relishing the thought of fighting with the turian and Kynarus couldn't help but feel the same way in regards to the human. Klaus had proven to be one of the most annoying people in existence and Kynarus would be glad to be rid of him.

"Go on, scaly ass," Klaus said mockingly, gesturing at Kynarus to have the first blow, "have a go…"

Kynarus simply gave the turian equivalent of a smile and raised his pistol, feeling some satisfaction as a surprised look appeared on Klaus' face.

"Alright," Kynarus said simply, pulling his pistol's trigger. The weapon kicked back a little in his grip, a bloody red patch appearing in Klaus' chest. The human stumbled backwards, surprised and putting a hand to the bleeding hole in his chest. He didn't fall though and instead regained his foot, starting towards Kynarus with renewed fury. Blood trailed from his mouth and oxygen hissed from the hole in his armour but he didn't seem to notice, more intent on killing the turian in front of him than anything else.

Kynarus took a step to the side, letting the extremely determined Klaus run right past him. Before Klaus realized his mistake Kynarus simply hit him in the back with the butt of his pistol, sending the human falling forwards and into a boulder ahead. The visor on Klaus' helmet smashed, small pieces of glass falling around the foot of the boulder as Klaus fell to the ground. He began to writhe about, a strained look on his face as he gasped for air but received none.

Turning his attention back to the wounded Schraeder, Kynarus lowered his pistol and walked right over to where he lay. Klaus went still after some prolonged writhing about and when this happened Kynarus felt a small burden disappear off of him. He felt relieved that that prick of a human was dead, allowing himself to turn his full attention back to Schraeder.

Schraeder lay clutching at his bleeding left shoulder, trying to stop the blood flow and breathing slowly in order to preserve the oxygen that was flowing out of his suit. He looked up at Kynarus with some noticeable hatred, his sharp eyes narrowing and a weak smile forming at his lips.

"What are…you…going to do…now?" Schraeder said slowly, trying to preserve air. He had a slight mocking tone in his voice, as if he knew the predicament Kynarus was in.

With a moment's thought Kynarus helped the human up, carrying him over to the rover and opening the side door. He threw Schraeder onto the passenger seat before closing the door and heading around to the other side, opening the door here and climbing inside. Schraeder seemed resigned to whatever fate Kynarus had in store for him but to make sure the human wouldn't try anything he kept his pistol trained on him, using his left hand to jab it into his side.

Kynarus turned to the panel before him, noticing the vid-screen in the centre and the flashing switch below it. He figured that Dieter had been on the line for a while, trying to reach Klaus to see whether or not the mission was done. Well, it was 'done' alright, just not in the way Dieter had been expecting.

To make sure Dieter wouldn't doubt Schraeder's identity Kynarus pulled the helmet off of the human, casually holding him around the neck as if he was an old friend. He then reached over and flicked the switch, feeling some relief when he saw Dieter's face appear on the vid-screen. Dieter's eyes appeared to light up but his expression soon changed from one of eager anticipation to a surprised grimace.

"Kynarus…how?" His eyes regarded the turian with some surprise and some dislike, his mouth going slightly agape when he realized what must have happened. His eyes moved over to regard Schraeder and it was then Dieter realized that his best laid plans had gone awfully wrong.

Kynarus smiled again, tapping the vid-screen in order to get Dieter's attention. He jabbed the pistol into Schraeder's side, making sure Dieter could see it so he could prove a point. Kynarus knew that for once he had Dieter where he wanted him and couldn't help but feel pleased with himself.

"Where's Klaus? And the team?" Dieter seemed to be regaining control of himself, his face going back to its usual calm and collected look. His voice still showed traces of annoyance though seeing as things had not gone according to plan.

"They're all dead. The whole operation was botched from the beginning," Kynarus explained although he didn't feel like telling Dieter about it all now, "Cerberus knew we were coming and made sure our jobs weren't easy. Most of the team was killed in a Cerberus trap while I just happened to kill Klaus outside…He ended up a little short of breath, if you know what I mean…"

It took a few moments for Dieter to digest these facts, managing an angered grimace when he realized what this meant. Somehow Cerberus had found out about the operation which would have been impossible since only the people involved had known about it. Unless, of course, Cerberus had a spy within Dieter's circle…

"You have Katherine," Kynarus said, deciding to get straight to the point and interrupt Dieter's thinking, "I want her back. I have your friend, Schraeder, so maybe we can organize some sort of exchange…"

Dieter pondered the thought for a moment. He looked at the wounded Schraeder and then at Kynarus, shaking his head and knowing that he didn't have too much of a choice. Kynarus felt good when he saw this since it meant that in all of these botch-ups and all the bad luck he had had, just this once he had Dieter in a position he wanted him to be in. Dieter was unable to refuse the offer but would probably try all sorts of tricks to counter it. Until then, Kynarus would remain feeling good about himself whilst knowing he would soon see Katherine again.

"You do want Schraeder alive, don't you?" Kynarus asked, jabbing the pistol into the human's side a few more times to emphasise his point, "if not I could just shoot him here and now, saving you the trouble…"

"Alright, you fucking turian!" Dieter finally exploded, his face contorting into an enraged frown of hatred and frustration, "you can have Katherine back! However, I'm the one who organizes the conditions of the exchange, not you. Is that understood?"

Kynarus nodded, feeling some satisfaction when he saw Dieter finally lose his temper. Maybe the human was capable of anger after all rather than that casual ruthlessness of his. Dieter seemed to have calmed down slightly from his sudden outburst but still had that angry look on his face, as if he wanted to spit in Kynarus' face.

"I will send a drop-ship to pick you up," Dieter said, speaking slowly but with a voice laced with venom, "it will take you to a privately owned spaceport in the colony. That's where I will have my frigate. I want you to come aboard unarmed and with Schraeder in good health. I will be there, unarmed as well. I will also make sure none of my soldiers are on board. Is that alright for you, Mr. Vakarian?"

Kynarus didn't like the sound of it but nodded anyway. It was probably another well-crafted trick by Dieter but he didn't care, he just wanted to see Katherine safe and sound again. He would figure something out if Dieter tried anything and he sure as hell wasn't going aboard that lunatic's ship unarmed. He would figure something out, like he always did even if it meant smuggling the gun in by an uncomfortable fashion.

"The drop-ship should be around to pick you up in half an hour," Dieter said, his voice returning to its usual tone but his eyes betrayed his inner fury, "make sure Schraeder is still alive by then."

"You better not try anything, Dieter," Kynarus said in response, pointing his pistol at the vid-screen. Dieter only watched it carefully, unfazed by the threat. "Because if you do, I will kill you. I may not be the best at keeping my word but when it comes around to me having to kill you, I will do it. Keep that in mind and make sure I'm not ambushed by your goons when I show up, alright?"

Dieter simply nodded. He was angry enough as it was and was sure to end the video link then and there without speaking anymore. Kynarus sat back in his seat, knocking Schraeder aside and letting the wounded human biotic slump against the window of the sealed interior of the rover. Kynarus didn't like the idea of being stuck with Schraeder for half an hour but had a feeling that the human wasn't in much of a state to try anything.

Kynarus suddenly felt how tired he was, his muscles aching and his eyes closing as this sudden bout of rest threatened to send him to sleep. He stirred himself out of his potential slumber, making sure to keep his eyes trained on Schraeder in case the human tried getting the better of him. Schraeder's eyes were half closed and he was clenching his teeth, obviously in a lot of pain from the bullet wound in his left shoulder.

Schraeder's eyes found their way to Kynarus and he managed a grin, grunting as he shifted slightly where he sat. It was another five minutes before he spoke.

* * *

"Klaus told me about you," Schraeder said finally, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the interior of the troop transport rover. Kynarus glanced at him, watching Schraeder carefully through the corners of his eyes. He didn't trust the human at all, much like the distrust he felt of Dieter and Colonel Sommers. Being a mercenary often meant working with people you could never trust, perhaps inclining the said mercenary to sleep with one eye open and with a gun under the pillow. Kynarus practiced the latter whenever he could.

"He told me how you had been forced to come along and how you were hired by that Cerberus prick Sommers to find the package," Schraeder continued, "that's how you ended up in all of this…"

"How about you just shut up?" Kynarus said threateningly, pointing the pistol Schraeder's way. The turian certainly wasn't in much of a mood to be talked to by a wanted criminal, one who had been in charge of the Zahni Corporation for some time before being thrown into prison. He didn't like being stuck inside the rover with Schraeder; the human could try anything and probably get the better of him inside the cramped confines of the rover's cockpit. Kynarus would make sure he remained awake, no matter how tired he felt, as well as keep watch on Schraeder.

"You're just a victim of bad luck, Vakarian," Schraeder said, ignoring Kynarus' demand to be quiet, "you shouldn't even be here…"

"Can you just SHUT UP?" Kynarus was getting fed up with Schraeder now and they had only know each other for less than ten minutes aside from their encounter back at the prison. That encounter had been seconds before Schraeder had sent him flying with a biotic throw, more or less ruining any chance of a friendship between the two of them.

Schraeder only chuckled, quite the opposite of what Kynarus wanted. The young turian did manage to keep in his annoyance though, preferring to not show Schraeder that he was having an effect on him.

"Do you even know what's inside the package?" Schraeder continued, turning his head to face Kynarus, "because you obviously don't. If you did you would probably be doing your best to work with Dieter…"

Kynarus was surprised at this remark, realizing it provided one extra piece to the puzzle that was already the mysterious package, otherwise known as the "battered metal container". He couldn't fathom the idea that he would actually be _helping_ the Zahni Corporation if he knew what was inside the package and so turned his head so he could look straight at Schraeder, noticing the grin that had formed on his face.

"I would never help the likes of you," Kynarus said, realizing with some disdain that he had been doing just that today, helping to break out the very human that was sitting in the rover with him. Schraeder's eyes seemed to glaze over, if only briefly and at the same time he began talking quickly, in a quieter but more sinister tone.

"You have no idea, do you?" Schraeder asked, a crazed look appearing in his eyes, "the things I've seen, the dreams I've had. I've seen things you wouldn't believe, Vakarian. The destruction that awaits us all…" He trailed off, his gaze moving back to Kynarus. The turian was unnerved to say the least and made sure to keep his pistol trained on the human, feeling a slight chill run down his spine.

It was very likely that Schraeder was as mentally unstable as Dieter, if not even more so. Kynarus couldn't take any chances with this human and remained sitting against the door, facing Schraeder and resting the pistol on his thigh but keeping it pointed in the human's direction. Kynarus couldn't quite work out what Schraeder was talking about, only knowing that the man was talking like some sort of fanatic.

"What's in the package is the key, Kynarus," Schraeder said. Kynarus didn't like it when Schraeder called him by his first name and so waved the pistol he held a little, making sure the human saw it. He didn't seem too bothered by it though, instead he continued talking.

"I know where it is," Schraeder said, "I've always known where it is." He closed his eyes, as if straining on some thought in his mind. When he opened his eyes a few seconds later they seemed to be glowing brighter, as if the colour of his irises had changed. Kynarus was already unnerved and could feel his grip on the trigger of his pistol inexplicably tightening although he didn't pull it; rather his gaze was fixed on those bright, burning eyes of Schraeder's.

"Your name is Kynarus Vakarian, you're twenty-nine years old and you grew up on Palaven. You were put into the military at age fifteen as is the custom of your species and went on to become a distinguished officer. That was until you fell in love with Lalias Lytherax and became romantically involved. Unfortunately, she died in your arms during a Cerberus attack and you quit the military as a result. Now you're a mercenary, selling your services to the highest bidder while spending the money you get on drugs, alcohol and women."

Kynarus felt his blood run cold when he heard all of this, the smile on Schraeder's face all the more unnerving. He was looking straight at him, those burning eyes of him staring right into him…

Kynarus shook his head, trying to shake the rather absurd thoughts that were finding their way into his mind. Schraeder could have easily learnt all of that from a file; it just didn't make sense why he would have read about Kynarus Vakarian in particular. He had not known of the turian's existence until today so why the hell would he know all of that? There must be some sort of rational explanation.

Kynarus rubbed his eyes with the back of one hand, feeling a slight headache form. Schraeder was still watching him, the strange hue in his eyes appearing to dim.

"You love Katherine Tyler, a human you recently met," Schraeder continued, "you've already slept with her and you long for more of the same, but first you have to get her back. Am I correct, Kynarus? Am I correct that you have a brother named Garrus? Am I correct about Lalias and the way your career in the military was ruined as a result of meeting her? Am I correct about your inner violent nature that urges you to kill me?"

"SHUT UP!" Kynarus finally exploded. Whatever the hell Schraeder was doing it was working. How could he possibly know about Katherine and whether or not he had slept with her? How could he know all about him? How, how, HOW? Kynarus shook his head again, raising the pistol and leaning forwards so he was almost face-to-face with Schraeder's smiling face. He grabbed Schrader's chin with his right hand, forcing open his mouth which in turn allowed him to stick the barrel of the pistol into it.

"You better just stop this, right now," Kynarus said, his voice laced with a hatred for this despicable human who seemed to find it satisfying to taunt him with personal information, "do you understand me, you piece of shit? You're going to shut up right now or I'll…"

"Or you'll what? Kill me?" Schraeder pushed Kynarus' pistol wielding hand away from his mouth, allowing him to speak a little clearer. "You kill me and you can say goodbye to your girlfriend Katherine. That's why I know you won't kill me." Schraeder laughed that laugh of his, the one that seemed to reverberate through Kynarus' mind with a mocking intensity. The headache was getting worse and Kynarus rubbed at his head, trying to clear it. It didn't work.

Kynarus longed for some painkillers, anything that would ease his headache. He kept watching Schraeder, his mind still in overtime trying to work out just how Schraeder knew all this about him. They had only met today, how could he already know so much about him?

"How do you know all this?" Kynarus demanded, the grip on his pistol tightening, "how? Tell me…"  
Schraeder stopped laughing and looked towards the turian, smiling a rather irritating smile. Kynarus wanted answers but he had a feeling he wouldn't be getting any, especially from someone as obviously crazy as Herbert von Schraeder.

"I just know these things, Vakarian," Schraeder said, his eyes narrowing, "and I really can't work out how I find out. It's strange, don't you think?"

"The only thing here that's strange is you," Kynarus replied, "so just shut up if you're not going to give me any answers."

Schraeder didn't speak again until the drop-ship arrived about twenty minutes later, hovering nearby as it awaited the two of them to get on board. When Kynarus saw it he grabbed Schraeder, making sure to press the barrel of the pistol into his side. Kynarus put on his helmet before helping Schraeder with his; pushing open the side door once they were both protected from the atmosphere outside.

On board the drop-ship were a pilot and a single Corporation officer outfitted in light armour and carrying a holstered sidearm. It seemed that Dieter was keeping his side of the deal so far and hadn't organized a strike team to eliminate Kynarus, which was a definite good sign. Kynarus sat with Schraeder at arm's length, eyeing the corporation officer carefully before telling him to get the pilot to fly them out of the area. This was the one chance Kynarus had at sleep and he took it, no longer concerned about what the officer or Schraeder might do to him while he was slumbering. He didn't care about that right now; he already had far too much on his mind.


	26. The Administrator

**Location: **Lowell City Colony, Mars

The colony of Lowell City was a large one, mostly underground save for the few less favourable regions which were on the surface and protected from the harsh atmosphere of Mars by thick glass domes. Lowell City was the only major colony on Mars, founded long before the Prothean ruins were discovered on the other side of the planet. As a result the public closure of Mars excluded Lowell City, allowing a steady stream of visitors to go to and from the colony.

Lowell City had made a name for itself however and it wasn't in a good way. The colony was full of criminal types, nearly all of them humans with such wholesome careers as mercenary or pirate or smuggler. The civilian population was somewhat scattered throughout the colony, many of the wealthier types living in their own private underground penthouses and well away from the criminal scum that made up the majority of Lowell City's population.

Underground the streets were narrow and lined with all sorts of hotels, motels, bars and clubs. Apartment complexes were also fairly common, differing in size and shape with many build in the solid rock walls. The surface regions were more for administrative purposes, including landing pads and customs. Officers of the Mars Colonial Authority were all through here but surprisingly there was a lack of them in the underground parts of the colony, leading to a somewhat lawless state down there that allowed any sort of criminal to get around easily. Shootings and bombings were rather common and it wasn't hard to find an ordinary enough civilian down there carrying around a weapon. The situation down there called for it, especially with the possible rebellions against the current Administrator for the colony.

The whole colony was ruled by the Mars Colonial Authority, exacting its power in the colony to some extent and getting in on anything that might be happening anywhere on the planet. This meant the MCA knew about any of the currently discovered Prothean ruins as well as having knowledge of the many research facilities scattered across the barren planet. They made sure that MCA officers were used to guard the research facilities and Prothean ruins and thus had information flowing to them in all directions.

In charge of the Mars Colonial Authority was the Administrator who considered himself more or less the ruler of the colony. He controlled all that occurred on Mars and made sure his own interests were kept well protected, including his penthouse suite built into the side of a gorge and located well away from the less desirable areas of the colony. His rule was hated throughout the civilian population seeing as it was common knowledge he was corrupt as well as having turned a blind eye to the welfare of the lower class citizens. Day in and day out hate campaigns rallied against the Administrator and the Mars Colonial Authority and the increase of extremist action was beginning to become quite a threat to the Administrator. This would explain why bombings and shootings against MCA officers were cracked down on quickly and harshly, civilians in the area being rounded up and interrogated while their properties were searched.

The actions of the MCA and the violence in the Lowell City colony was barely noticed by the rest of the Human Systems Alliance seeing as they had far more important things to deal with. With the Humans Systems Alliance dealing with humanity's general safety and protection, the MCA dealt with the general safety and protection of the Lowell City colony and its inhabitants. This system had worked well enough when the colony was first founded back in 2079 but as the years had passed and the colony had grown, the overzealous attitude of the MCA had increased. They exploited the people and cared little for the safety of the common, lower-class citizen who tried eking out a living in the slums of the colony. Any day now and the revolution against the Administrator would begin and possibly succeed and as a result maybe for once the Human Systems Alliance would take notice.

The MCA was in league with plenty of other organizations throughout the solar system, many of them corporations that supplied the MCA with the materials it needed. They were also in league with a few illegal organizations for somewhat secretive reasons, the common perception amongst the civilian populace being that the Administrator had more dirt on his hands than anyone else in the Solar System.

The colony was split into many different sections, each one easily recognized from the other. The poorer, more crime-ridden areas were further underground but were home to the best nightlife while the penthouse suites that the wealthier people had were closer to the surface. This wasn't a complete organization of the colony though; there were plenty of crime-ridden areas in the surface section of the colony, especially near the spaceports that protruded from the top of the colony like large craters. Smugglers, pirates and mercenaries were especially common here, hanging around the nearby bars and clubs taking time off and waiting for their next job.

To link these differing sections were mazes of tunnels, many of which were potentially unstable and rarely used or maintained. A helpful subway/tube system connected each of these sections but the tube stations themselves were home to all sorts of lowlifes just waiting to corner and mug someone who even looked slightly wealthy and helpless. Security increased the closer one came to the administrative section though but the dislike of the MCA and the Administrator became more evident.

Colonel Tiberius Sommers had spent the last half hour on one of the monorail trams which zoomed along at a reasonably quick velocity, passing through rocky underground tunnels and refined metal ones as it went from one side of the colony to the next. Posters of the dark haired Administrator and his patriotic looking stance lined the stone walls of some tunnels, insulting graffiti having since been scrawled over many of the posters. Other posters included ones promoting the Mars Colonial Authority and how it helped to "serve and protect" the people of the Lowell City colony which was quite against common belief amongst the populace.

The Colonel would usually not have busied himself with taking a common tram but unfortunately all of the commandoes he had been with back at the prison had been killed, including his drop-ship's pilot. Unfortunately for him he had no idea on how to fly such a craft and had been forced to get a ride into the colony, getting on the first monorail tram to the administrative complex. He was out of commandoes and needed some extra help, something which the Administrator might be able to provide.

He and the Administrator had met before, most of those times having been to organize deals including that of having prisoners occasionally shipped out of the prison out on the plains and to a Cerberus research facility on Ontarom. The Administrator happened to owe the Colonel a favour now, seeing as the Colonel had helped him out of a sticky situation with some Lowell City mercenaries. Today would make a good day to collect up on that favour so the Colonel wasn't wasting time, making sure he knew exactly what he would tell the Administrator and what evidence he would show to prove his point. After all, Dieter Sturlmann had been foolish enough to park his frigate at a spaceport in the colony.

The Colonel's face was still bruised from his encounter with Kynarus Vakarian a few hours earlier, back at the prison. A few small cuts were on the left side of his face where the turian had hit him repeatedly, his muscles there tender and aching dully from the blows. This somewhat beaten look contrasted to his clean and smooth golden-brown overcoat and matching trousers, giving him a smart but dirty look at the same time. He looked like someone who had gotten into a bar brawl or something, a false story he had needed to use whenever a slightly concerned civilian asked him what had happened to his face. What was he going to tell them? That he was going to kill a turian who had then gotten the better of him? Yeah, right.

The Colonel looked around from where he was sitting, the windows ahead of him providing a blur of greys and white lights as the human-made tunnel flashed past. The monorail tram was almost silent, providing a peaceful and smooth ride save for the hushed conversations coming from certain points around him. This particular carriage was occupied with a few typical inhabitants of Lowell City, bored and miserable while they sat waiting for the journey to end. The closer the tram went to the administrative complex the more passengers that got off with very few actually coming on. It was as if the administrative complex acted as a sort of deterrent for the common Mars inhabitant.

The Colonel was still annoyed at the failure of the carefully planned trap he had helped to set up back at the prison. He wasn't only annoyed at the fact that the turrets hadn't managed to kill most of the team at the maintenance tunnel, he was actually more annoyed at how the MCA officers stationed in the prison hadn't been able to stop the remaining survivors of the Zahni Corporation's squad. The Colonel had been sure to warn the Warden of the prison but he had seemed somewhat reluctant to believe it, only alerting the officers at the prison at the very last minute. Perhaps this lack of preparation had made sure that the corporation's squad succeeding in breaking out Herbert von Schraeder, the Colonel sure thought so.

Part of the blame would have to go to him and the team he had brought along to finish off the corporation's squad. For one thing he hadn't been expecting the orders from the Illusive Man to eliminate Johannes nor had he been expecting to find Kynarus Vakarian working for Dieter as a member of the team. He could understand the orders about killing Johannes (something which he had no problem in doing) but finding Kynarus in the squad had come as a bit of a surprise. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised, their informant in Dieter's corporation circle had told them about it, but he had still been surprised that he had just happened to encounter the turian.

The Colonel was only a little annoyed at himself for not being able to stop the turian. He had blown off a finger from the turian's right hand, he could remember that, but he felt like kicking himself for not having finished the job then and there. He should have just shot the nuisance of a turian dead rather than have told him to draw his weapon, something which he made sure all of his opponents did. He disliked shooting an unarmed opponent but it was this code of conduct that had stopped him from completing an objective. If the Illusive Man found out there would be hell to pay.

That was why the Colonel would make sure the Illusive Man did not find out. There was no evidence to suggest what had happened during his encounter with Kynarus had actually happened. He would get away with this mistake without any consequences from what he could tell. He certainly was hoping he would get away with it, the last thing he needed was a demotion. His "Colonel" title had become part of his identity and he couldn't bear to have that removed.

Colonel Sommers had been in Cerberus for twenty years, rising through the ranks and gaining some closure on the Illusive Man's inner circle. There were still those few above him who actually saw the Illusive Man in person or even via a vid-screen but Colonel Sommers was yet to achieve that. He still had no idea what the very leader of Cerberus looked like but he still believed in what the organization and the Illusive Man was trying to achieve. If humanity was going to survive in this galaxy it would have to rise above its alien rivals, becoming superior to them and greater in every aspect. If this didn't happen than humanity would face a future as servants of alien masters, a future that Colonel Sommers didn't like to even contemplate.

His mind wandered briefly to when the Zahni Corporation had first come into play about ten years ago. They had been lead by Herbert von Schraeder then, a somewhat private corporation that had its arms reaching right through the known galaxy and had an outpost on nearly every known world. They even had a few factories in the mountainous regions of Palaven, right at the centre of the Turian Empire. The land there they had bought out entirely, something which they often did to ensure no one would be permitted to investigate whatever operation they had occurring at a particular outpost located on that purchased land. They may even be more far reaching than Cerberus but the Colonel knew that they were scattered and weak the further away from Earth they went. Cerberus wasn't the same, being strong wherever it was.

An article the Colonel had read some years ago came into his mind, something about how corporations would replace nations as time went on. The Zahni Corporation was a definite example of this prediction becoming true, having complete control over South America. Sure, the Human Systems Alliance governed Earth but when you were in South America you were under the jurisdiction of the Zahni Corporation. Buenos Aires and the areas around it was the Corporation's main operating area, factory complexes and research facilities taking up most of the city's outskirts. They very likely had people on the inside amongst the higher-ups in the governing arm of the Human Systems Alliance, ensuring that control of South America remained in the hands of the Corporation.

Just over ten years ago the Corporation had shown some interest in a Cerberus research facility in the Voyager Cluster. It was from then on that the two organizations form a dangerous rivalry, occasionally fighting each other for control of certain uncharted worlds and particular interests. It was a war between two massive organizations and it was a war that had become quite quiet lately, the Zahni Corporation having ceased all operations against Cerberus a few years ago. Now it seemed they were interested in finding the very same item that the Illusive Man had sent the Colonel to go out and find, an operation which had gone wrong from the very beginning. Now both organizations were at each other's throats again and this time they both seemed rather determined to get the mysterious package.

Why Dieter had decided to break Schraeder out of prison was anyone's guess but it most likely had to do with the package. Dieter was getting desperate, especially since Kynarus Vakarian had been messing around with his plans ever since the Colonel had gotten the turian involved. He was even becoming an obstacle to Cerberus, an obstacle that had to be permanently removed to ensure success of the mission.

The Colonel suddenly became aware of the bearded African-American man sitting across from him. He looked up and saw that the man was puffing on a cigarette, watching him with sullen eyes that betrayed his boredom. The smoke wafted from the end, rising to the ceiling and fading. The thick stench of tobacco filled the carriage while the dark-skinned man eyed the Colonel's face carefully, obviously curious about the bruises and cuts.

The Colonel didn't like getting stared at in such a manner and so pointed a finger towards one of the cuts.

"Bar fight," he said and then regretted having said it, realizing from the expression the man gave him that he didn't care.

"Then don't fuck around in bars," the African-American said bluntly, puffing again on the cigarette, "round here you're bound to get your ass kicked, whether you got a gun or not." He nodded towards the Magnum revolver the Colonel had holstered at one side of his waist. He wasn't at all bothered by the fact someone on the tram was carrying a gun, it was commonplace for someone to wield a weapon here in the Lowell City colony.

"Don't fucking smoke," the Colonel said, even though he did it himself sometimes. The African-American man raised a doubtful eyebrow, scratching at his dark beard with his left hand. He was completely ignoring the 'NO SMOKING' signs on the windows behind him, something which annoyed the Colonel a little. If this guy wanted to smoke he could do it when he got off of the tram.

"I don't give a shit what you say, man," the man replied, blowing on his cigarette some more, "besides, I ain't gonna listen to some foreigner. Yeah, I can see you ain't from around here…"

The rather heart-warming conversation was thankfully interrupted by the sound of the pre-recorded tram announcer, the woman's sweet tones breaking the African-American man's sentence. The voice announced that the East station of the Administrative Complex was only five minutes away, an announcement that the Colonel took good heed of.

_Just another five minutes riding this piece of shit tram,_ he thought. The African-American man eyed him carefully, obviously not at all pleased with the "foreigner" sitting across from him.

People who hadn't been in the colony for long enough to be accepted into the community were deemed "foreigners". It was a term that was almost used as an insult here in Lowell City and it was a term that struck the Colonel as politically incorrect. They were all human, weren't they? They were all supposed to be uniting against the common enemy: the aliens. Some people didn't share this belief it seemed and thus wouldn't make good candidates fro service in Cerberus.

"Where you from, shithead?" The African-American man spoke again, the Colonel looking his way once more while keeping a straight face. The last thing he needed was an argument with some scumbag on a monorail tram.

"Earth. Why?"

The man scoffed upon hearing the Colonel's response. Earthlings weren't popular here on Mars since the common belief was that they had it far better off than the Mars dwellers. It was true enough; conditions here in Lowell City were appalling. Of course, the Colonel wasn't about to campaign for better human rights and civil liberties for the people here in Lowell City.

"I thought as much," the African-American man said, sounding as if he had just had a sudden realization, "why would some Earthling come all the way out here to this shithole? Why not Eden Prime or the Citadel?"

"Because there aren't any aliens here," the Colonel said, feeling the speed of the tram decrease suddenly. They were coming in to stop, it seemed, which meant that he would have to get off. The tunnels outside remained the same human-made stone grey ones, covered with posters and graffiti even this close to the heart of the government of Mars.

The man sitting across from the Colonel laughed heartily, finding the Colonel's response rather amusing. He beared a set of pearly white teeth whilst dropping his cigarette to the floor and stamping it out on the rubber matting at his feet. The smell of burnt rubber began to replace the smell of tobacco but the Colonel wasn't too concerned, he was about to get off of the tram anyway.

"For that I think you're alright," the man said, watching as the Colonel stood up and started for the nearest door. The tram was rolling to a stop at a rather vacant platform, a set of windows at the far side providing a view of the night-time Martian landscape outside. A few people in grey uniforms wandered around while a pair of MCA officers wandered past, talking quietly.

"It's good that they're ain't many aliens here," the black man continued as the doors slid open and the Colonel started out onto the grey-blue interior of the monorail station, "hell, I bet there are more aliens on Earth than there are here…"

The rest of the African-American man's opinion was cut off as the doors slid shut behind the Colonel. Thankful to be out of the cooped up confines of the monorail tram the Colonel took a moment to take in his surroundings, noticing how the lack of civilians indicated that he was right where he needed to be. Behind him the monorail tram began to depart, speeding down the rest of the tunnel before rounding a bend and disappearing from view.

The Colonel made sure the weapon holstered at his waist was hidden under his overcoat, closing it up a little as a cool breeze flew past him. Up ahead he could see the security station, a large X-ray tunnel that provided a rather excellent view of whatever someone was carrying as well as what was in their bags. A few technicians sat at a bank of computers alongside the tunnel, ready to sound any alarms if they found anyone carrying anything especially dangerous. The Colonel would have to depart with his sidearm for now, it seemed.

He started towards the checkpoint, getting the attention of the young looking guard standing by the entrance to the short tunnel. Beyond was the rest of the station, a set of signs displayed above the windows ahead. They showed the necessary information someone would need to find there way around, the one titled 'ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES' getting the Colonel's attention. He hadn't been here for a while so he figured he would be best to follow the signs.

"What do you want?" The guard asked, sounding bored. He had a stun gun holstered at his waist in case anyone potentially dangerous passed by. So far nothing major had happened at this particular station for some time so the guard had an excuse to be bored.

"I'm here to surrender this firearm during my time here in the Administrative complex," the Colonel said, getting straight to the point. He unbuckled the holster from his waist, handing it to the surprised looking guard who grabbed the holster and the weapon inside with some curiosity. He managed a quick examination of the outdated weapon, raising an eyebrow at the Colonel.

"Uh…right, sir. I'll make sure this gets put away until you come by and pick it up," the guard said, turning around to the guard booth behind him and placing the weapon inside a locker inside. It wasn't often people came through with weapons in this part of the colony, not even any of the rebels had tried shooting their way past Administrative security just yet. They would eventually if the Administrator kept up his old ways. That was the least of the Colonel's concerns, he couldn't care less about the Administrator and the safety of that man's position as long as the deals Cerberus had weren't adversely affected.

"Just make sure we don't catch you with any weapons inside the complex itself," the guard said, speaking as if he had said this all before. He probably had, judging from his job here at the station.

"You can trust me, don't worry about that," the Colonel said with a smile which made the guard uneasy. The guard then gestured towards the short X-ray tunnel, the Colonel acknowledging this and starting on his way through. The technicians sitting by the short black tunnel could see everything he was holding, right down to the pair of pockets on the rear of his trousers. It was only a few metres through to the other side, the green light by the exit flashing as it acknowledged yet another clean passer-through.

Once the Colonel was through he could concentrate on getting to the Administrator's office. It couldn't be too far away, the Colonel following the many signs out of the station and through the corridors of the complex. The amount of people around here suitably increased the further the Colonel went from the monorail station, especially when he entered a large open room with multiple levels. Hanging from the ceiling were posters displaying the local of the MCA and patriotically stirring pictures of officers striking patriotic looking poses. Benches and interior gardens were scattered throughout the floor of the atrium, men and women in the grey uniforms sitting or standing around or just going about their own business.

The Colonel's presence didn't seem to interest them although he did get a few glances as he walked by some of the citizens but this interest was short-lived. They didn't care enough about the one visitor to show much concern, if there had been a group of newcomers then perhaps the workers here would have been more suspicious. This would allow the Colonel to get around somewhat unnoticed, which was just the way he liked it when he was carrying out an operation for Cerberus.

He made his way to one of the nearby elevators in the atrium, having found a handy map on a wall which had told him that the Administrator's office was on the top floor. He stepped inside the glass elevator, the door sliding shut a few seconds later as he keyed in the correct floor. The elevator started on its way up, coming to a stop a short time later on the very top floor. The night sky was visible through a large skylight in the ceiling, the atrium illuminated eerily by scattered white LED lights. It was a bit atmospheric, especially as the amount of people around here began to decrease as they retired to their rooms for the night. The Colonel was fairly certain the Administrator would be in his office for most of the night, either asleep in his chair or talking to other visitors. To get to the office the Colonel had to pass through a few heavily guarded security checkpoints, being scanned over by metal detectors and devices that could detect electronic emissions which would reveal whether or not he was bugged. It seemed that the many surveillance cameras had caught sight of him on the way here and thus the Administrator had prepared for the Colonel's inevitable arrival, the receptionist sitting at the desk outside of his office simply waving the Colonel through.

Nodding politely the Colonel approached a set of old fashioned manual doors made of a stained wood with brass handles, turning the knob on one and pushing it open. Beyond was the large, open and spacious office of the Mars Colonial Authority Administrator. It was floored with expensive cream coloured carpet, a table and set of four chairs scattered across the carpeted area. A mantelpiece was to one wall, the glass cabinet there filled with bottles of expensive beverages. A large fish tank filled with goldfish was on a large table on the tiled section of the office, close to where the large black desk of the Administrator was.

Sitting at the desk was a middle-aged man with greying hair and of a medium statue and height, his dark calculating eyes narrowed as he watched the Colonel enter. A large set of windows were behind him, providing a panoramic view of the Martian landscape outside. A pair of pot plants were set at either end of the windows, the leaves of the ferns glistening in the light emanating from the LED lights in the ceiling.

On the desk was an old fashioned desk lamp and a holographic personal computer. A datapad lay in the centre of the desk, left there by the Administrator seconds before the Colonel had entered. A small metal die-cast model of an old fashioned space shuttle was at one corner of the desk, working well as an ornamental feature. Looking around the Colonel remembered his past visits and the fact that the office never seemed to change save for the amount of drinks in the cabinet at the wall and whether the lights were on or not.

The Colonel kept walking, stopping a metre or two from the Administrator's desk. The man hadn't changed when he looked at him from this distance, that same ruthless but business-like demeanour flowing from him. The Administrator's full name was Roland Derrighan but everyone just called him the "Administrator" to keep things simple. He had been in his position for about nine years, ever since the last Administrator died of heart failure. Ever since then the situation in the Lowell City colony kept getting worse and worse, with violence becoming far more commonplace than before.

"As soon as the cameras spotted you getting off that tram I knew you would come," the Administrator said, his voice roughly edged and authoritative, "it's been a while, Colonel. Too long almost." He paused, noticing the slight grin the Colonel had on his face and realizing why the Colonel had even bothered visiting. "You don't want something, do you? I've already got enough things to worry about…"

"You do know the situation, don't you?" The Colonel asked, managing a quick glance at the fish tank and the many goldfish swimming around inside. Every visit and the fish tank never changed and neither did the amount of goldfish, so either the Administrator took good care of his goldfish or he was frequently replacing the ones that died.

"At the prison?" The Administrator asked, raising an eyebrow. There was a pause before he continued, remembering what the Colonel was referring to. "Yes, I know the situation. I also know how your men stuffed up and let those Zahni Corporation assholes escape with Schraeder. You do realize that Schraeder is a dangerous and unstable criminal? He was put in that prison for a reason…"

"Yes, so he could be sent to Ontarom to be researched," the Colonel said, satisfied at the frustration he was sensing in the Administrator's voice. He didn't like the way the Administrator had referred to he and his Cerberus commandoes "failing" to stop Schraeder from escaping. The circumstances had been tough and unexpected, especially when that turian showed up.

"Well, maybe if you had organized that sooner none of this would have happened," the Administrator said bluntly, smiling when he saw the Colonel give a slightly annoyed grimace, "because then Schraeder wouldn't have been at the prison for them to go and break him out…"

"Hang on a minute," the Colonel said, interrupting the Administrator in mid-sentence, "I didn't come here to get blamed for the failure of your officers at the prison. They should have stopped Dieter's troops from succeeding; I was just there with a squad as a last resort."

"And you failed, from what I've been told," the Administrator replied, pointing an accusing finger at the Colonel.

The Colonel ignored this remark, deciding that the two of them would be better off getting to the point of his visit rather than to blame each other for the failures that occurred earlier in the day. He hadn't come here to play the blame game with the Administrator and so changed the subject.

"Look, I just want to get to the point of why I'm here," the Colonel said, sounding a little frustrated, "there'll be plenty of time for blaming each other later."

"Why are you here then, Colonel?" The Administrator looked up at him, his rugged features displaying some hint of curiosity, "have you finally come to collect up on that favour I owe you? Because, seeing as I do owe you, I'll try and do what I can to help…"  
Finally it seemed that they were making some progress. He was pleased to hear that the Administrator was willing to help, the Colonel only hoped that the Administrator would live up to his word. That would be quite contrary to what he usually did so the Colonel realized that it would be harder to get help from the MCA than he originally thought.

"Cerberus has had a lot on its plate recently," the Colonel said, remembering the reports he had recently read, "we've had problems with an Admiral who got to close to us, we've suffered from attacks on several of our outposts in the Voyager Cluster and we've also become embroiled in this mess with the Zahni Corporation. What I need from you is help, in the form of a large amount of well-trained officers."

The Administrator rolled his eyes but kept listening, not too interested in hearing about Cerberus' recent shortcomings. The Colonel continued, pleased to see that some attention was being paid to what he was saying. It was true that an Alliance Admiral had recently gotten a bit too close to Cerberus and as a result they had needed to "remove" him. As if in retaliation someone had gone and systematically wiped out several research facilities in the Voyager Cluster and had thus set back the research there somewhat.

"The thing is that Dieter's landed his frigate in a private spaceport in this colony. I don't know why but my guess is that he's waiting for Schraeder to be brought to him before they leave. We can get rid of Dieter and Schraeder if we act fast but I'm going to need your help seeing as the reinforcements I called won't be coming until tomorrow. Of course, we can't afford to wait that long…"

The Administrator nodded along with what the Colonel was saying, using one hand to adjust the metal model of a space shuttle at the corner of his desk. He looked up at the Colonel when he had stopped talking, expecting an answer from him.

"I know what spaceport you're talking about," the Administrator said, "but I'm afraid the MCA has no jurisdiction there. The Zahni Corporation bought out the whole area and as a result run it like a sort of Embassy. I send officers there and it'll be seen as an act of war against the Zahni Corporation…"

The Colonel clenched his jaw, managing an annoyed grimace. He didn't like the sound of what the Administrator was telling him but managed to contain his anger and frustration, knowing well enough that it would just make things worse.

"Ah…excuse me?"

The Administrator must have noticed the anger in the Colonel's calm but cold voice, looking up at the Colonel and shrugging.

"I'm afraid that if I help you I'll be at risk of bringing that whole Corporation down on my ass. I've already got enough on my plate already; war with a galaxy-spanning corporation isn't something I need right now."

The Colonel slammed a fist down on the desk, rattling it and shaking the space shuttle model off of the edge. It landed with a loud _thump_ on the tiled floor below and the Administrator only stumbled backwards in his seat from surprise. The Colonel was glaring at him with a malevolent look, one that made the Administrator feel uneasy.

"If we don't stop them here, in the colony, they're going to escape and bring all kinds of shit-storms down on the whole fucking galaxy. Do you realize what they're planning? Do you know what they're close to finding? If we don't stop them from achieving their aims then we're all fucked, including you Mr. Administrator."

This frustrated speech and the Colonel's sheer anger seemed to have the desired effect on the Administrator and he carefully reached over and switched on the holographic computer on his desk, typing in something as information flowed down the blue screen.

"Ah…well, now that you put it that way I think I can spare some officers," the Administrator said uneasily as he scanned through the information on the computer screen. The Colonel took a step back from the desk, satisfied with his intimidation of the Administrator and realizing that soon Dieter would be where they wanted him. If they could stop the Corporation here on Mars then Cerberus would have no rivals, thus allowing them to work on the many schemes they have going without hindrance.

The Administrator looked up from the computer screen, managing a frown when he saw that the Colonel had suddenly returned to his usual calm and collected demeanour. It seemed that the Colonel had been merely intimidating him but the Administrator didn't care, he knew what Cerberus was capable of doing. Anyone who got in their way would be "removed" and the Administrator sure as hell didn't want to be "removed".

"How about twenty men, the best of the best?" The Administrator asked, "They'll follow your every order and request. Some of them are even ex-military types…"

"They'll do just fine," the Colonel replied. He could feel his heart beating faster as the adrenaline began flowing. He knew that they were close to removing the Zahni Corporation from out of the picture; all they had to do was get to that spaceport before Dieter left and make sure no one there lived to see another day. It would be a piece of cake. All they had to do was kill Dieter and Schraeder and the rest of the corporation would tumble down from underneath them.

_Cut off the head and the body will fall…_

"So, ah…when do you want these officers?" The Administrator seemed a little nervous, unsure of whether helping the Colonel was a good idea or not. He had to swallow his pride in order to go along with the Colonel's scheme because usually he would be making a good argument. This time around he didn't have the option.

"Now would be great," the Colonel replied with a grin.


	27. Reunited

**Location: **Lowell City colony, Mars

During his slumber, Kynarus Vakarian hadn't been able to help but dream of Katherine. He remembered her smile, her fiery but likeable personality and the surprising physical beauty of this particular human female. She was like him, with the same attitude towards her job as a mercenary as he had. They did what they did to earn money to make a living from their skills, skills they had previously used in the military. He dreamt of seeing her again, unscathed and very much alive. He could only hope that would end up being the case in reality, although the picture Dieter had shown him some time ago had proven that Katherine had been a little roughed up. This was enough to anger him considerably, Kynarus already plotting ways of killing Dieter and Schraeder while getting Katherine out alive. He had been in tough situations before; although none of them had featured anyone he had loved as much as Katherine.

He remembered the night they spent at the Citadel together, able to remember her light touch and the warmth of her body against his. The physical differences between them hadn't stopped her in getting him to go to bed with her and it had worked out rather well. He was hoping there would be more times like those in the future once this whole Cerberus/Zahni Corporation business was over and that he and Katherine made it through alive. If he lost her he wouldn't know what he would do.

Throughout his dreams he had the strange feeling of constant movement, a side effect from sitting in the back of a moving drop-ship. He had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion, the day's events having worn him out completely. He had killed dozens of MCA officers and several Cerberus commandoes and had lost the middle finger of right hand as a result. He could thank Colonel Sommers for that.

Kynarus stirred uneasily in his sleep, not at all concerned about what Schraeder or the officer in the passenger cabin might do to him. He and Dieter had struck a deal and it was simple enough. Kynarus could tell Dieter was serious about it seeing as he hadn't sent a squad to simply ambush him back at the extraction zone. Rather, he had sent a drop-ship containing only a pilot and an officer to pick him and Schraeder up.

This had been a good sign and certainly enough of an excuse for Kynarus to doze off, waking up again halfway through the trip to the colony and finding that Schraeder had fallen asleep as well. He took the time to take a good long look at the peculiar human, the very one that had been telling him all the things he knew of Kynarus without ever actually having met him before. It was strange how he could know such things, including how he was currently having an affair with Katherine. Whatever strange abilities Schraeder had may be contributed to his powerful biotics and whatever happened t give him them in the first place. The way his eyes had unnaturally changed colour, from their usual dark blue to the light, eerie blue had struck Kynarus as definitely unnerving and something he shouldn't spend too much time thinking about.

The officer then had asked Kynarus whether he wanted a drink or a light snack. Kynarus knew better than to accept human food and instead requested a bottle of water, the officer having removed one from a compartment in the wall of the passenger cabin and handing it to the young turian. Kynarus removed the lid and gulped two thirds of the contents down within a minute, realizing just how thirsty he had been. He had spent almost the whole day without any fluids and this was beginning to have a somewhat detrimental effect on his general wellbeing. Already he felt enormously tired which was understandable after the day's events but the headache and nauseous feeling he had weren't helping either. His stomach rumbled in complaint, reminding him that he had been neglecting it for some time.

He had then accepted the "light snack" the Zahni Corporation officer had suggested, handing Kynarus some sort of processed protein bar. The officer seemed nice enough, definitely better mannered than Schraeder or Klaus. The protein bar only helped make Kynarus even more sick so he hung his head back in his seat and tried to doze off again.

There was a single window at the rear of the drop-ship and it provided a sweeping but blurred view of the night-time Martian landscape, flying past as the drop-ship flew over the mostly barren world. Kynarus couldn't quite believe that the humans had set up a colony on such a dreary and uninteresting world but he guessed those humans would do anything, putting colonies on some of the most inhospitable planets in the galaxy. They were just trying to prove themselves to the Council but always ended up with some sort of problem, such as that recent attack on Eden Prime.

Kynarus had dozed off minutes later, seeing that they still had some way to go before they were at the colony. He realized that his description would be all throughout the Mars Colonial Authority's network due to his efforts back at the prison. This would make getting around unnoticed somewhat difficult although he couldn't be too sure about this, he had no idea what the colony was like anyway. His best guess was that it was mostly subterranean and was home to a reasonably large population but this was all just his speculation without actually seeing any solid proof. If it was anything like the prison architecture wise he figured that it wouldn't make a good tourist spot.

During this second bout of slumber, Kynarus had another dream. It was about Katherine again, except that she and him were in some sort of forested area getting shot at from unseen enemies. Katherine was shot in the side, much like the way Lalias had died back in reality seven years ago. Kynarus had been helpless, unable to move as he stood and watched her bleed her life away in the dirt. Kynarus, when he had finally been able to move, bent down to look at the extent of Katherine's wounds, finding that her blood was getting on his hands and making them sticky. He found himself with a surprising lack of emotion, simply caressing her face as she died in front of him.

That had been when Schraeder had stepped out of the trees, laughing in his usual manner while his eyes glowed an eerie blue hue. Kynarus had been unarmed and had been helpless as Schraeder shot him repeatedly, the bullets making him writhe in his sleep as they impacted and blew chunks of his flesh away. His strength left him and he was on his knees, bleeding to death as Schraeder laughed at him and seemed to stare right into his mind with those eyes of his.

"_Bang bang, you're dead Vakarian…"_

This had been enough to send Kynarus jumping out of sleep with a start, looking around frantically while his left hand went for his pistol. He was only slightly relieved to see he was still alive and well, sitting in his spot in the passenger cabin while Schraeder snored loudly in the seat across from him. The officer was watching him closely, a genuine look of concern on his face from having watched the turian's disturbed sleep.

"Bad dream?" He asked simply. Kynarus nodded, making sure this simply wasn't part of his dream by pinching himself on the forearm. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found that he was actually in reality, unable to help but shoot a cautionary glance at Schraeder who was still snoring in his sleep. He seemed to be muttering something in his sleep, his lips moving but next to no noise came out. Kynarus could hear hushed tones and he slowly leaned forwards to get a better listen, feeling his heart skip a beat when he heard just what it was Schraeder was muttering under his breath.

"Bang bang, your dead Vakarian…"

Kynarus' attention and immediate thoughts were interrupted when the officer spoke suddenly. His voice also shook Schraeder out of his sleep, his eyes quickly glancing over at Kynarus with a sinister look.

Kynarus realized that the forested area in his dream had been a lot like the one where Lalias had been killed. Why Schraeder was there was beyond him but how he had been saying the exact same thing in his dream as he had been in real life struck the turian as peculiar. It was also making him uneasy so he shifted in his seat, trying to send the thoughts out of his mind as he turned his attention to the office.

"Looks like we're coming up at the spaceport now," the officer announced. Kynarus managed a look out of the rear window and saw the shapes of grey metal buildings below, their lights brightening up the landscape below and piercing the night. There were a few other aircraft flying around, including a few transport shuttles and larger cargo freighters. None paid any attention to the small dark drop-ship coming in low over the lights of the colony, descending down to one of the circular spaceports that jutted from the top of a hill.

The colony looked decent enough from above but Kynarus knew looks could be deceiving. The humans weren't particularly renowned for founding good colonies, their home-world being a prime example of what happened when they were stuck on the one planet for too long. From what Kynarus had read, the human home-world of Earth was poverty-ridden and overpopulated. The Earth-born humans who could not afford to move off-world were stuck on the one planet and thus the majority of Earth's population were the under-class. Perhaps it was the same here on this colony, so close to Earth and the logical next step the humans had taken on their expansion to the stars.

Schraeder didn't seem too interested in the lights of the colony below. Rather, he had begun to twiddle his thumbs while he waited for the drop-ship to land at its destination, eagerly awaiting whatever Dieter had set in store for Kynarus. The turian wasn't stupid and made sure he would be carrying his weapon on board Dieter's freighter, unless they caught him with it and forced him to remove it. That would be when the trouble started, he could tell that much. Of course, it was possible Dieter was keeping his word and preparing to give Katherine back to him in exchange for Schraeder.

Kynarus sat up, turning to the officer as the drop-ship descended into the spaceport. Below them a set of large metal bulkhead doors opened up, allowing the drop-ship entry into the hangar below. Descending through the doors which then closed above them, the pilot guided the drop-ship onto a small landing pad below which was located in the far corner of the hangar.

"Have you got any rope?" Kynarus asked the officer, "or, even better, hand-cuffs?"  
Schraeder looked up, realizing what Kynarus was planning. He looked towards the turian and laughed, not at all convinced that the turian would be taking him on board Dieter's freighter chained up like some sort of animal.

"You're not even going to be able to get on board," Schraeder said mockingly although Kynarus wasn't fazed, "you'll be gunned down within seconds…"

"That won't happen if I have you in front of me," Kynarus said, standing up and ignoring the churn in his stomach. He needed some decent turian food soon, otherwise he had a feeling he would end up being sick.

The drop-ship lurched slightly as it touched down on the landing pad, Kynarus steadying himself against the wall. The officer grabbed a hand-hold in the ceiling to keep his balance, thinking through the question Kynarus had asked him and trying to remember if he had the right answer.

"Well, no, I don't have any rope," the officer replied as the rear boarding ramp began to extend, "sorry…" He shrugged innocently, not at all concerned about why Kynarus had needed it.

Kynarus managed a glance into the hangar, finding that the landing pad they were on was only part of a far larger hangar. They were a few floors up, walkways winding around them from above and below. White smoke vented from the sides of the drop-ship as it cooled off its engines, a few Zahni Corporation officers approaching from a doorway ahead. The other half o the hangar off to the right was taken up with Dieter's frigate, the _Shoulder of Orion_. Maintenance crews wandered around, going about their own business while armed synthetic goons patrolled the walkways and floor of the hangar. The hangar was well illuminated, lights in the ceiling and along the walkways providing plenty of bright white light throughout the entire hangar. A few were concentrated on parts of the frigate while maintenance crews worked on minor repair jobs in the light, touching up the paintwork and checking the loaded missiles in the missile pods. All in all it looked like the Zahni Corporation had a good operation going on here in the colony.

Kynarus stood up and started for Schraeder, grabbing the human by the collar and lifting him out of his seat. Holding his hands behind his back the turian pushed him in front, his pistol held in his left hand as he started out onto the landing pad. The three officers out here went for their side-arms but otherwise didn't draw them when they saw that Schraeder was in their way.

Kynarus stopped at the foot of the drop-ship's ramp, realizing that all heads were turned to him. The maintenance crews had began to pack up and leave, knowing full well what the arrival of the turian meant. The black-armoured synthetic soldiers on the walkways had their rifles trained in his direction. If they had been ordered to kill him they would have done it already, indicating that Dieter had kept his word.

Kynarus forced Schraeder out in front of him, making sure it would be hard for anyone to shoot him without getting Schraeder in the process. He glanced behind him, back at the officer in the drop-ship who was watching with some interest. It occurred to Kynarus that the inside of the hangar had fallen completely silent.

The officer at the front of the other two on the landing pad spoke first, tugging nervously at his collar. He knew what could happen if any of them stuffed up and he didn't like the idea of getting caught in the crossfire of some frenzied gun battle. He knew he would be the first one Kynarus went for when the shit did hit the fan, if it ever did.

"Well, you're here," Schraeder said through clenched teeth, ignoring the pain in his arms, "what are you going to do now?"  
Kynarus kneed him in the base of the spine with plenty of force, hearing the human grunt as he fell to his knees. He pulled him back onto his feet, keeping the pistol pressed against the side of his neck as he did so. The turian's eyes went to the three officers ahead of them and then to the synthetic armoured soldiers on the walkways.

It had been a while since Kynarus had last encountered those synthetic soldiers. He preferred normal human corporation goons to those faceless and emotionless machines but he wasn't in much of a position to complain. Instead, the silence of the hangar had begun to get on his nerves, sweat forming at his armpits and forehead as the adrenaline began flowing. He had barely any energy left; his short sleep hadn't done too much to rejuvenate him. What he did need now was another good drink of water and his eyes darted back to the officer in the drop-ship.

"Ah…you must be the turian…" The officer on the landing pad said in an uncertain tone, Kynarus' eyes returning their gaze towards him. Kynarus found the nervousness of this officer particularly satisfying since it proved that he was having some sort of effect on him.

Schraeder was quite the contrary. He was struggling against the turian's strong grip, making a general nuisance of himself but to no avail. Kynarus wasn't about to let his only bargaining tool get away that easy.

"Just shoot him!" Schraeder exclaimed angrily, "that way we can get off of this rock!"

The officer shook his head, a dismayed expression on his face. He had obviously received orders from above concerning the current situation and was against them somewhat but knew he couldn't disobey them. Kynarus only hoped those orders would benefit him.

"Dieter is waiting for you aboard his frigate," the officer said, "We'll escort you there if you want…"

"What?" Schraeder was definitely angry now, his face contorted into a snarl. He didn't like the way this conversation was going since it certainly wasn't to the benefit of him. "Why don't you just shoot this fucking turian? Is it so hard?"

Kynarus was somewhat relieved to hear that Dieter was keeping his word and started forwards, brushing past the officers while holding Schraeder in front. He kept the barrel of the pistol against the base of his spine, his finger close to the trigger and prepared to pull it at a moment's notice. As he walked he managed a look around at the other officers and synthetic soldiers, watching as they kept their weapons trained on him but didn't shoot. They knew that even if they hit him he wouldn't die immediately; his finger might just pull on the trigger and kill Schraeder. Besides, Kynarus' armour had kinetic shields although their power supplies were almost depleted. He wasn't about to tell them that though.

Kynarus stopped at the top of the metal stairs that winded down to the floor of the hangar. The three officers were still behind him and he turned around, briefly exposing himself to the catwalk soldiers but knowing full well they wouldn't shoot. The officer in the drop-ship had stepped out and the four of them were watching the turian, looking like they had no idea what to do. The lead officer frowned, gesturing to the other officers to follow. They were about to start doing it when they stopped suddenly, their gazes shifting up and towards somewhere on the catwalks ahead. Kynarus turned back around, forcing Schraeder out in front of him whilst jabbing the pistol into his spine to dissuade him from struggling. He looked up at the catwalk above and ahead, recognizing the black coated figure standing above.

"I thought I told you to be unarmed?" The voice mocking almost, grating on Kynarus' nerves a fair bit. The turian looked up and towards Dieter Sturlmann, his eyes filled with an intense hatred of the human. He had Katherine and he had forced him to help him break out Schraeder which had resulted in one very long day of killing and exhaustion. Kynarus couldn't work out why he was still alive, the odds had definitely been against him most of the time. He wasn't complaining though and so he raised his pistol, pressing it against the back of Schraeder's head much to Dieter's discontent. He knew that as soon as he dropped his gun they would cut him down or at the very least Schraeder would try and put up a struggle. Right now the gun he was holding was the only thing keeping him alive.

"When Katherine's with me I'll drop the gun," Kynarus replied, his gaze not shifting from Dieter. He could see the hint of annoyance on Dieter's face but the human quickly hid it from view, simply opening his arms in a friendly gesture and smiling falsely.

"Don't worry, you'll get her back," Dieter said, "just allow my officers to escort you and Mr. Schraeder aboard my ship and we can talk. After all Kynarus, you should know that I am a man of business. I run a whole corporation, after all."

Kynarus didn't care much for this small talk, he just wanted to get on board Dieter's frigate and find Katherine. He longed for her to be back in his arms and he hoped, for Dieter's sake, that she was still alive.

"Please, Kynarus, just take it easy and we can figure something out," Dieter said, noticing how the turian had tensed a little, "just allow my officers to escort you on board…"

"What the fuck are you doing, Dieter?" Schraeder was yelling at the top of his voice, enraged by what Dieter was intending on doing. Was he actually going to give in to this turian's demands? It was preposterous…at least to Schraeder it was. He would never do such a thing if he was in Dieter's position.

Kynarus noticed Dieter nervously shuffle his feet but otherwise he was unfazed by Schraeder's yelling and swearing. He looked down at his former boss with a look of slight pity, as if he found Schraeder's sheer presence a liability. He was a necessary liability for the corporation's cause, though. Dieter knew this and had gone to the trouble of organizing Schraeder to get broken out of prison. Kynarus could see that already Dieter was beginning to regret this but Schraeder was obviously necessary for the corporation's plans and thus he would have to put up with whatever Schraeder gave him.

"Just shoot this turian shit and we can get out of here!" Schraeder shouted, "Why the fuck would you listen to this alien shit-head anyway? I'd just kill him as well as that bitch you have locked up in your ship somewhere…"

Dieter shook his head, putting a hand to his forehead as memories of working underneath Schraeder came flooding back. He obviously didn't like Schraeder's methods of dealing with problems such as this.

"I know you would kill him Herbert," Dieter said, "thing is, I'm not like you. I'm not some ruthless asshole who enjoys killing, alright? Can you understand that?"  
Schraeder didn't reply, he simply spat to one side and struggled a little against Kynarus' grip. To dissuade him Kynarus stuck the pistol into his spine again, holding it poised and ready to fire. Kynarus could see the animosity between the two of these guys and could see why Dieter hadn't broken Schraeder out of prison earlier. The guy was a complete asshole.

"JUST SHOOT HIM!" Schraeder finally exploded, fighting against Kynarus' grip. Somewhere from behind the turian a weapon fired, his already weakened kinetic shields giving out. He was barely aware of the bullet that nicked his right shoulder, the pain flaring up seconds after he had turned around. He threw Schraeder to the floor as he spotted the officer from the drop-ship, weapon raised and smoking. It took a single bullet for the officer to fall, crumpling to the floor as blood erupted from his ruptured jugular in a geyser-like flow.

Kynarus grunted as the burning sensation erupted in his right shoulder. He glanced at it with the corner of his eye, seeing the gash in the armour and his flesh. Blood oozed out at a steady rate but it didn't look serious and so Kynarus decided he would be best to shrug it off, instead keeping his attention fixed on the officers standing before him. They all looked stunned, some having watched as their comrade fell in a bloody gargling heap.

The officer Kynarus had just killed had probably been more loyal to Schraeder than any of the others. Without taking any chances Kynarus raced over to Schraeder who was just getting back up, hitting him across the face with the butt of his pistol. Schraeder fell onto his side, yelling angrily while one hand went to his now bleeding nose. Kynarus pointed the pistol straight at Schraeder's head, his gaze moving to Dieter who stood watching coolly. He was seemingly unaffected by the violence that had just erupted on the landing pad although the synthetic soldiers standing near him had trained their rifles on the turian.

"See what you do, Schraeder?" Dieter said, directing his attention to his former boss who was sprawled at Kynarus' feet, "you cause trouble. So, I advise you keep your mouth shut until the matter with Kynarus is settled, do you understand?"  
Schraeder looked angry, probably at the thought of being forced to take orders from someone he had once been bossing around himself. He eyed Kynarus carefully and with noticeable hatred, something which the young turian had been getting a lot of lately. He didn't care what these humans thought, he just wanted Katherine back to him alive and well.

Dieter looked back at Kynarus shrugging as if what had just happened wasn't his fault. It probably wasn't, Schraeder just had more influence than Kynarus had first realized. There would be plenty of fanatics amongst these goons, the ones who had gotten t like Schraeder's way of running things. Dieter seemed quite different to his former boss even if Kynarus had only seen them in the same room together for about five minutes.

"Let my officers escort you aboard and we can sort this out," Dieter said, "be sure to bring Schraeder along with you. That way we can make this deal work out to the benefit of both of us. Does that satisfy you, Kynarus?"  
The turian simply nodded, lowering his weapon and helping Schraeder up. He made sure to keep both the human's arms behind his back which ensured that there was less chance of his unleashing his biotic abilities. Looking up again Kynarus saw that Dieter had disappeared, leaving behind the group of armoured synthetic soldiers that kept their weapons trained in the turian's direction.

Kynarus started walking, keeping Schraeder in front of him and hobbling along while he kept his pistol jabbed into the human's back. He felt tired still, his muscles aching and his head hurting while that nauseating feeling in his stomach began to build up. He felt a little dizzy, probably from all the energy he had expended today but he couldn't be sure. His bleeding shoulder was throbbing dully, still bleeding a little but otherwise it was nothing he should be concerned about. He could patch himself up later if he made it through this meeting alive.

Kynarus started down the stairs that went to the bottom floor of the hangar. Dieter was nowhere in sight, having slipped away almost unnoticed as he had started on his way back for his prized frigate. Kynarus had a bad feeling about this whole thing but he had no other choice, gazing around the hangar and being sure to keep the synthetic soldiers and officers in check. The three officers from the landing pad tagged along behind him, trying not to make eye contact with him and more afraid of him than he was of them. These guys weren't cold-blooded killers, unlike the synthetic soldiers or the Cerberus commandoes that Kynarus had encountered back at the prison. It was a welcome relief to be around enemies that weren't as fierce as previous ones he had encountered.

Kynarus kept his mind focused on the task at hand, starting towards the extended landing ramp jutting from one side of the landed frigate. The whole hangar remained silent, rifles following him along in case he made any sudden dangerous movements. He was used to having guns pointed at him; it came with being a mercenary. They outnumbered him but that was also something else he had become used to over the years although he always knew when to back away from a fight or to avoid them wherever possible. Now was one of those times he thought better to avoid a conflict seeing as most of the deadly efficient synthetic soldiers had their weapons trained on him from high vantage points. He may be able to kill Schraeder in the event of a shootout but he would be filled with bullets before he had a chance to do much else. This was the one thing that was keeping him alive.

The synthetic soldiers were obviously the by-product of years of research into outlawed artificial intelligences. The Zahni Corporation obviously didn't care much for galactic law and probably had the resources to cover up most of their activities, which probably included wherever the "bodies" of synthetic soldiers were found. That meant that the police force back on Talerian would be receiving an unwanted house call soon enough by the Zahni Corporation.

Above was a single docking tube that went straight into the upper deck of the frigate. This was probably where Dieter was making his way into the ship from while Kynarus was made to use the landing ramp into the lower decks. Maybe this had something to do with whatever Dieter had planned for him inside, although only time would tell.

He was halfway across the open floor of the hangar when he stopped suddenly, the nauseating feeling in his gut suddenly crawling into his neck and into his aching head. He bent over to one side, keeping his gun trained on Schraeder while the young turian threw up onto the floor beneath him. The vomit was thick and slushy and contained traces of the protein bar he had eaten on the way here, the spew splashing high enough to spray his legs lightly. It didn't last long since he was upright again, trying to clear his head and still feeling a little sick even as he began walking again. Schraeder looked disgusted and tried to refrain from yelling again.

Kynarus knew there was something wrong with him, he just wasn't sure what. It probably had something to do with the fatigue he could feel setting in and the lack of water he had been suffering from recently. Perhaps he was becoming dehydrated, it was hard to tell. He could just have a stomach virus or maybe it could have been because of the protein bar he had earlier. There were too many possibilities. Besides, he was in the middle of something important and couldn't think too much about his current wellbeing right now. He tried to ignore his nausea, headache and the stinging pain in his wounded shoulder as he continued towards the extended ramp. He made sure Schraeder wouldn't struggle as they started up the steps, keeping the pistol firmly pressed into his spine and possibly infuriating the already furious human.

The doors in the side of the ship slid open, revealing the airlock and decontamination chamber behind. The three officers followed the pair inside, the doors behind them sliding shut and sealing them from the outside air as the decontamination started. A thin white beam ran across the width of the room slowly, passing over each of them once, twice and then again. A soothing pre-recorded female voice assured them the decontamination process should only take a few moments but even so it seemed like an eternity to Kynarus. He stood in place, eager to get inside Dieter's frigate and get this whole deal over with. Or, if Dieter decided to betray him, he couldn't wait to kill Dieter and Schraeder whilst freeing Katherine like some sort of old-fashioned hero. Hell, he was no hero: what hero did drugs and killed as many people as he did?

The officers stepped ahead of them as the decontamination beam switched off, the doors ahead sliding open. It seemed it was now the job of the three officers to escort the turian to wherever Dieter wanted to make the exchange and Kynarus could only hope they wouldn't lead him into a trap. Seeing as there was a very good chance of this happening he made sure to keep his wits about him, somewhat difficult since he had a splitting headache and felt sick. Regardless, he pressed on into the _Shoulder of Orion_ while his heart pounded in his chest. The tides had effectively turned against Dieter but Kynarus didn't think they would stay that way much longer. He had Dieter in a workable position, one which may ensure his and Katherine's safety. However, he was quite confident that sooner or later things would start going bad for him again, whether he deserved it or not. He just had to hope that things would stay good for him until he was off of Mars with Katherine in tow.

* * *

The ship hadn't changed since Kynarus' last visit. He could remember the brief tour Dieter had given him well enough, the human having been proud to show off his pride and joy. That tour was what Kynarus was trying to remember now, ignoring his headache as he concentrated on whereabouts Dieter could possibly be. There were offices and other rooms of the type on the upper decks along with the bridge and navigation room. Sleeping quarters and the mess hall were mid-deck while everything else, including engineering, was in the lower decks. He doubted that Dieter would be organizing their meeting in the lower decks and the sleeping quarter's area would be impractical. Right now Kynarus' bets were placed on being made to meet Dieter up in one of the officers, possibly even some sort of conference room.

The three officers escorting them went down to only one, the other two disappearing in opposite directions as they went back to their usual routine of working aboard the ship. The ship itself was lit in a warm glow, the white LEDs set to a lower setting than usual. The walls were a mix of dull blue and grey colours, much like the interior of a typical turian ship. It occurred to Kynarus that there may be more to the origin of this ship than he originally thought, seeing that its design had many similarities to that of a typical turian frigate.

The officer took Kynarus and his quarry through the corridors of the ship and to the central elevator, located just next to the mess hall. Strangely enough the ship wasn't especially populated, with only a few technicians and engineers milling about but no soldiers or other officers. Dieter was obviously keeping his word, having put all of the soldiers and officers out in the hangar and off of the ship.

Schraeder was still in Kynarus' grip, his two good taloned fingers on his right hand holding the human's arms behind his back while he stuck the pistol into the human's spine like he had been doing ever since they had stepped off of the drop-ship. Schraeder was yet to try and escape although he did look angry at his situation, his nose slowly bleeding from a blow he had received from the young turian earlier. He seemed resigned to whatever fate awaited him or he was just accepting the fact that he was going to be used to bargain with Dieter, it was hard to tell what the human was thinking. Kynarus knew that soon enough he would be seeing Katherine again after what felt like such a long time while in reality it had only been a few days. Time was hard to gain a sense of when someone was travelling between worlds seeing as the times of day would always been different on every planet. Kynarus tried working out how much standard galactic time had passed since he had been hired by Colonel Sommers to get the package but it was to difficult for him to wrap his head around it all so he quickly forgot about trying.

They passed a pair of technicians who were sitting and watching a vid-screen, news reports being displayed while the newsreader provided a helpful voiceover. Both technicians glanced over at the turian and his prisoner as the group walked past, eyeing them carefully.

"…_in other news, the ERCS denies all allegations concerning the incident at one of its research stations on Noveria known as Peak 15. The communication loss with the base was only a technological malfunction and not the result of a research related incident. However, some suggest that the death of Administrator Anoleis and his secretary is related to the recent rival of Commander Kate Shepard who appears to have arrived at Noveria with the intention of investigating Peak 15. So far no further information concerning these events is available at the present time…"_

The room with the technicians in it was passed by quickly as the group made their way into the elevator, taking it up to one of the upper decks. The trip was strangely slow, Kynarus remaining silent along with Schraeder and the officer who was with them. Kynarus could feel his heart thumping in his chest, the turian safe with the knowledge that within minutes he will be meeting Dieter and Katherine. He could sense that they were nearing their destination aboard the ship and as they came closer Kynarus became tenser. Something could happen; Dieter might decide to betray the turian once again. If that happened Kynarus knew exactly what he would do although he knew there was little chance he and Katherine could get out of it alive if it came down to that. They might be able to fight their way out of the ship but getting out into the hangar would be suicide seeing as Dieter had posted most of his soldiers out there. Kynarus and Katherine would be cut down within seconds of escaping. Even so, Kynarus knew it might be their only chance unless they somehow flew the frigate out of here…

The officer took him and Schraeder to a silver double door. He waved a security card in front of the panel which changed from its red light to a green. Standing outside, the officer gestured for Kynarus to continue inside with his prisoner. Cautiously Kynarus took Schraeder to the door which slid open as they approached, revealing a large conference room with a long table in the centre and several chairs at either side. The room was empty but Kynarus doubted it would be empty for much longer.

Stepping inside, the door slid shut behind him and his prisoner. He looked around, trying to figure out why they had been taken into a seemingly empty room. There were a few doors on either side of the large conference room but all seemed to be locked, the lights at their corresponding panels glowing red. At the end of the room, beyond the long black conference table was a holographic screen which flickered into life as Kynarus surveyed the room. He kept his pistol stuck in Schraeder's back while they both watched the screen come to life, the blue lines of code being replaced by a large close-up of Dieter's head and shoulders. Kynarus realized it was just a real-time link, definitely coming from elsewhere in the ship judging by the background behind Dieter.

Kynarus pushed Schraeder against the table when he saw Dieter's face appear on the video-link, forcing the human to put his hands against the table while he pointed the pistol at the back of his head. Dieter's large visage only showed a slight hint of faltering but even so the human kept his face neutral and calm. It was obvious Dieter wasn't stupid enough to come to the deal in person, having organized this rather intimidating video link instead. Kynarus couldn't have done the same, he had to come in person and thus place himself at risk. He wasn't sure of what he should do now, whether he should speak first or let Dieter do it. There was a brief silence as the opposing forces considered what they would say.

Kynarus spoke first, breaking the awkward silence. To make sure Dieter knew he was being serious he used his right hand to smash Schraeder's face onto the table, hearing the human yell in pain but ignoring his reaction otherwise. The turian saw a hint of annoyance in Dieter's face but it was quickly gone, the human wise enough to not let Kynarus' actions get on his nerves.

"Where's Katherine?" Kynarus demanded, making sure Dieter could see the pistol pointed at the back of Schraeder's head, "Where is she? I want to see her...otherwise your friend here gets a lobotomy."

Dieter took a moment to answer, contemplating his options. He was probably well into thinking about how he could get rid of the turian and get Schraeder back without any hassle but Kynarus wasn't about to lose out that easy. He was ready for whatever Dieter threw at him. The smile the human gave him just made him feel uneasy though.

"Don't worry Kynarus, she's fine!" Dieter exclaimed, sounding surprisingly pleased. His eyes were wide and he was smiling, all of this probably in an effort to get on the turian's nerves.  
"She'll be right out in a few minutes."

"Why don't you come out of your hole so we can talk face-to-face?" Kynarus asked although he already knew the answer. Dieter wasn't going to risk himself in some deal, he was smarter than that.

Unsurprisingly, Dieter shook his head. He lost his smile though, his face returning to its usual casual neutrality. He eyed Kynarus closely for a moment, scratching at a spot under his chin thoughtfully.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Dieter replied, "I've learnt from past experience that talking to your opponent face-to-face isn't a wise move. There's more chance of something going wrong that way. That's why I took the effort to set up this handy little video link to ensure real-time interaction at a safe distance." He smirked, and then added, "Technology's marvellous, isn't it?"  
_  
I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face if I ever find you,_ Kynarus thought, narrowing his crystal blue eyes. He could tell that Dieter was taking his time with getting to the point of why they were here; something which Kynarus would prefer wasn't the case. He knew he didn't have much say in when Katherine was brought out to meet him but he was beginning to get impatient, deciding to take out his frustration on Schraeder who was leaning against the table in front of him. Kynarus brought the butt of his pistol into the lower part of the human's back, hearing him grunt and keel slightly but otherwise he didn't yell. Instead, Schraeder looked up towards Dieter with noticeable disgust.

"Just get this over with, Sturlmann you prick!" Schraeder exclaimed angrily, his teeth clenched and his nose dribbling blood down into his mouth, "otherwise, once I'm free from the fucking turian, I'll kill you!"

Dieter shook his head, pitying his former boss.

"You're under my command now, Schraeder," Dieter said calmly, trying not to let his former boss' attitude get on his nerves, "so how about you just shut up and let me handle things, alright?"

Schraeder didn't reply, instead he shook his head and slammed a fist onto the table. He didn't do much else, especially since Kynarus pressed the pistol into the base of his spine again. He knew his place for now but that could change in an instant. Kynarus would make sure that instant came when he was well away from this ship.

Dieter shifted his gaze back to Kynarus, noticing the turian's obvious anger. Kynarus was eyeing the large vid-screen carefully, his eyes filled with an intense hatred which was more than enough to tell Dieter that he was very, very angry. Kynarus was fed up with this whole situation and just wanted to see Katherine, deciding his best bet would be to piss off Dieter and see what happened.

"Where the hell is Katherine?" The turian asked. His voice was laced with hatred. "Bring her out here and then we can talk."

"You really care about her, don't you?" Dieter asked. Kynarus realized Dieter was just trying to stall for time with all of this small talk and so stuck the pistol into the area at the back of Schraeder's left knee, pulling the trigger. The gun went off and Schraeder fell onto the floor, yelling in pain as his left knee-cap exploded outwards. Dieter watched with some anger as Schraeder writhed around in a pool of his own blood at the feet of the turian and shifted his gaze back towards Kynarus, his face contorted into a frown.

"Why did you do that for?" Dieter asked, angry.

Kynarus didn't care much for the human writhing around on the floor at his feet, ignoring him as he turned his attention back to Dieter. He was glad to see he was having some sort of effect on the corporation boss, noticing that Dieter had clenched his jaw and his eyes had narrowed.

"Bring out Katherine and I won't blow out your friend's other knee," Kynarus demanded in a blunt manner.

Dieter spoke quickly into the radio piece at his collar in some foreign language. Kynarus looked around the room and saw that one of the doors at the other end had opened, a large man in a Zahni Corporation officer's uniform stepping out. Behind him followed a dismayed looking but otherwise relatively unharmed Katherine.  
As soon as he saw her Kynarus' emotions got the better of him. He lowered the pistol, his eyes widening when he saw her. She had her head down and her left elbow was encased in some sort of metal cast filled with a blue liquid, the type of thing used to heal compound fractures. She was still in the same clothes she had been in when Kynarus had left her back at the motel room on the Citadel, her brown-red jacket dirtied as it had been then and with a scorched bullet hole in the spot where Dieter had shot her back on Talerian. She seemed a little resigned, as if she had accepted her fate at the hands of the corporation's goons. Kynarus felt his heart skip a beat before going into a beating frenzy, his eyes going moist when he saw her. He realized then and there that he truly did love her, a single tear falling from one eye and to the carpeted floor below.

"Katherine!" He exclaimed. She looked up and saw him, her eyes widening.

"Kynarus!" She shouted, her voice breaking with the emotion. It had seemed like such a long time since they had last seen each other and this was evident in the way the pair reacted, acting like long lost lovers who had just reunited. Kynarus tried choking back his emotion, making sure to keep a straight face in front of Dieter, Schraeder and the goon that was standing near Katherine.

Before Katherine could say much else the large officer forced her down onto her knees, bringing out a pistol and holding it so it pointed to the side of her head. She didn't look at it; instead she looked towards Kynarus with a desperate longing.

Kynarus raised his pistol and pointed it towards the officer, his hands beginning to shake from the emotions he was feeling. She was right there, only about ten metres in front of him yet he couldn't afford to race over to her and embrace her. He longed to hold her close and to put a hand through her hair, put his mouth to her lips and feel her gentle touch again. The hell Dieter had forced him through; sending him on some mission to break out some prick of a human from a prison on one of the shittiest planets in existence was more than enough of an excuse to make Kynarus want to kill Dieter. He knew he couldn't right now though seeing as the human had been smart enough to not meet him in person. He was on the ship somewhere though and that meant he was close.

Dieter seemed to take in Kynarus' reaction, forming a grin. He gestured towards the big officer and when Kynarus looked at him again he realized that the officer looked sort of familiar. In fact, he looked just like one of the ones Kynarus had almost killed back in the maintenance tunnels on the Citadel…

"That there is Hans Berenger, one of my best officers," Dieter said, "I've ordered him to shoot Katherine if you hurt Schraeder again. Thus, we're going to make sure this exchange goes as smoothly as possible…"

"Why the fuck won't you just SHOOT HIM?!" Schraeder was furious, trying to rise back onto his feet by grabbing hold of the table but being unable to. His blown out knee cap made his leg give way beneath him and he fell again, grunting with the pain.

Dieter completely ignored Schraeder's request, keeping his attention focused on Kynarus. The turian was only barely able to control the urge to shoot Hans Berenger, keeping his grip on the pistol so that he could fire it at a moment's notice.

"Please ignore Mr. Schraeder, he isn't quite himself," Dieter said with a smirk. He paused before continuing. "Just so you know, it's been a while since I've met such a worthy opponent, Kynarus. You should be proud of what you've achieved. You've interfered with my plans so many times it shouldn't be funny. But, we all know that all games must come to an end.

"I feel that end is coming soon," Dieter said. Kynarus didn't like the tone his voice was taking, it sounded like he had something planned. Kynarus kept his weapon raised, keeping it pointed at Hans Berenger who was keeping his pistol pointed at Katherine. He didn't like how this whole thing was going, that sense of impending dread returning to him.

"It may not end today," Dieter said, "but I feel things are drawing to a close. This is merely the end of the third act in a four act play. And that's why…"

He was interrupted when a beep sounded throughout the ship, followed by a hiss of static as the PA system kicked into life. Kynarus and the others looked around, their attention leaving the standoff in the conference room briefly as they tried to figure out what was happening. Dieter looked especially concerned and somewhat annoyed that his speech had been cut-off. Finally, after a few moments, a familiar sounding voice came on through the speakers placed throughout the ship and the hangar outside.

"…_is this thing on?"_ There was a pause, the voice of Colonel Sommers quickly changing to a more serious tone when he realized that the thing was indeed switched on. _"Alright, your corporation assholes, your surrounded. If you cooperate no one will get killed. At least, nobody anyone gives a shit about anyway…"_

Kynarus realized then and there that maybe this deal wasn't compulsory. From what it sounded like, the deal was off due to this unforeseen interruption. Kynarus should have known better than to think that he had killed the Colonel back at the prison, that human was far too slippery to ever effectively eliminate. The look on Dieter's face made him crack a smile. Dieter, meanwhile, looked positively pissed off.

That's when Dieter's radio piece crackled into life, the desperate sounding voice audible through the vid-screen's speakers. He flicked the channel open and listened as the sounds of gunfire and explosions could be heard over the radio.

"_Sir, the MCA has us surrounded! We're getting a beating here! What the hell do we do?"  
_Dieter looked furious as his well-made plans fell away around him. The voice on the radio cut off abruptly and there was no further reply no matter how many times Dieter demanded one. He looked at the radio and then at Kynarus, trying to figure out what was more important. Kynarus felt the adrenaline in him begin to get going again, his mind going into overtime as he tried to figure out what this unforeseen assault meant.

"They cannot fucking do this!" Dieter shouted angrily, his voice sending a pierce of feedback through the vid-screen's speakers. Kynarus shook his head, trying to stop the high pitched whine that was sounding in his ears. He could see that Hans Berenger had been thrown off a little while Schraeder had passed out, lying in a pool of his own blood.

"This is our property! They do not have jurisdiction here!" Dieter slammed a fist on a table that was out of view of the camera he was talking into, a loud _thump_ sounding from the vid-screen's speakers. He was about to yell some more when the muffled sound of an explosion sounded throughout the ship, alarm sirens beginning to wail. The lights in the room changed to red and began to flash, a voice breaking in over the PA system as the whole ship erupted into chaos.

"_Warning! Boarders have breached the North-East airlock!"_

Dieter was frantic know but his gaze was fixed on Kynarus, the human not at all sure whether he should stay and see the deal through. Kynarus knew just what to do, kicking the unconscious Schraeder in the side just for the fun of it. Dieter's gaze went to Hans and he began to yell at the confused officer.

"Just kill her! Kill her and the fucking turian!" Dieter shouted angrily. Kynarus was faster on the trigger though, pulling his pistol's trigger and sending a shot ringing throughout the conference room. Hans spun slightly where he stood, his pistol going off. The bullet hit a nearby wall harmlessly, Hans slumping to the floor as a pool of his own blood began to form around him. Immediately Katherine was up, grabbing Hans' dropped pistol before she ran over to Kynarus.

Dieter watched the scene unfold with absolute rage. He stared towards Kynarus with one of the most hideous scowls but before the human could speak Kynarus had fired at the projector above the holographic screen, sparks flying as the picture disappeared. The whole conversation had effectively been ended, allowing Kynarus to turn his attention to the human woman running towards him. This was when he let his emotions take over, embracing Katherine and feeling her lips against his.

He felt down her sides, feeling along every curvature of her body. They broke from their kiss and looked into each other's eyes, the pair forgetting about the dangerous situation they were in as the alarms sounded and red lights flashed manically around them. Kynarus put a hand to his human lover's face, feeling her cheek with his talons.

"I was beginning to think I would never see you again," Kynarus said quietly, choking back the tears he could feel coming. Katherine simply smiled, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"You shouldn't worry about me, Kye," Katherine said. She released herself from his hold, taking a look around the conference room before putting her gaze back on Kynarus.

Now was as good a time as any and Kynarus finally let out what he had been holding in for so long.

"I love you," he said. His words hung in the air, Katherine managing another one of her beautiful smiles and replying.

"I love you too," she said, "but right now isn't a good time for this sort of thing."

"I thought as much," Kynarus said somewhat disappointingly. He looked at the canister on her left arm and noticed that if there had been a compound fracture there it had been mostly healed. Dieter had obviously cared enough to get her patched up.

Katherine was looking at him and his right hand, noticing the missing middle finger. She gave a genuine look of concern, taking his right hand and getting a closer look.

"How did that happen?" She asked.

"It's a long story," Kynarus replied, taking his hand back, "but, like you said, right now isn't a good time to be catching up…"

The two of them started for the door which slid open as they approached. The officer standing guard outside turned around with his weapon raised but Kynarus was too fast for him, grabbing his gun wielding hand and twisting his arm at an awkward angle. A shard of bone shot out of his flesh and he screamed but the scream was short-lived, Kynarus pushing his head into the nearby wall and effectively knocking out the officer. Katherine kept her pistol at the ready as she checked either way down the corridor, finding that their way for now was clear. She glanced back at Kynarus and then through the open door, nodding towards the unconscious Schraeder.

"Who's that guy?" Katherine asked.

"Forget him," Kynarus replied, the door sliding shut as the pair started down the hallway. Around them red lights flashed and the sounds of weapons fire echoed from distant parts of the ship, implying that the fighting was close enough to be a potential danger. They stopped at the elevator, Kynarus activating the panel by the elevator door. It seemed they would have to wait for it to come back up, giving them some time to talk.

"So, did Dieter do anything to you?" Kynarus asked, Katherine turning to face him as they waited for the elevator to arrive.

"Well, he broke my left arm for starters," Katherine said, gesturing to the metal liquid filled canister around her left elbow. It didn't seem to be restricting her movement too much but Kynarus could see her left arm was a bit stiff. "He was kind enough to fix it up, though. Otherwise he didn't do much else, keeping me locked up in a rather decent set of living quarters."

"Really? Is that all?" Kynarus asked. He had been expecting worse but it seemed that Katherine had merely been kept alive to control him.

Katherine nodded and then raised an inquisitive eyebrow, eyeing her turian partner carefully.

"Why? What did he do to you?"  
Kynarus shook his head, remembering the day's events and realizing that it was far too much to be effectively described right now. Besides, the elevator had just arrived and they would be best suited to go inside.

"He had me help break out his former boss from a prison on the planet," Kynarus said as he and Katherine stepped into the elevator, "I'm, not too sure why yet but I think it's because the guy we broke out knows something about the package."

The doors closed as Katherine frowned, curious but a little doubtful as well. It would explain why Kynarus had had one of his fingers blown off though since breaking someone out of prison would probably involve killing and shooting.

"Well, I heard a few things when we were locked up," Katherine said, thinking that they could talk more about this later, "I heard that we're on Mars, for one thing. I also learnt the names of Dieter's immediate circle of friends, would you like to know them?"

Kynarus nodded, curious as to just how many he had killed so far.

"Well, there was a krogan, some turian called Rellin, a guy called Heinrich Walstedt, then there was Hermann Holst and Francis Darian as well. The guy you just killed in the conference room was Hans Berenger." Katherine looked at him curiously. "You killed many others out of this group?"  
The elevator stopped just as Kynarus began to reply, the doors sliding open. Behind them was the mess hall but it had changed since Kynarus had last passed through, chairs overturned and a general amount of mess all over the floors. The vid-screen was still going, but this time an old black and white human movie was playing.

"I killed the krogan," Kynarus said, unable to keep the pride out of his voice as he followed Katherine out of the elevator, "but that's about it. Maybe there's some more of them on board this ship."

Katherine smiled. They both knew that if they got rid of these figures then the Zahni Corporation would be weakened and they would be one step closer to getting rid of Dieter.

Kynarus realized then and there that he had made a grave mistake. They had left Schraeder alive, something which they should not have done. If he had information about the package then he could give it to Dieter and then…well, they might just find it. He looked at Katherine, his eyes wide while she tried to figure out what his problem was.

"We have to go back and get Schraeder," Kynarus said, stepping back into the elevator. Katherine raised an eyebrow, not quite sure what he was talking about.

"Who?"

"The unconscious guy," Kynarus said, Katherine following him back into the elevator. The doors closed a sit started on its way back up, Kynarus' headache returning. He rubbed his head, hoping that Schraeder wasn't conscious. If he was then they would definitely be in trouble.


	28. Francis Darian

**Location: **Zahni Corporation spaceport, Lowell City colony, Mars

Francis Darian didn't trust Rellin Kia'Shan. The turian was, in psychological terms, a "loose cannon". The synthetic parts of him didn't help much either, giving him a menacing demeanour and displayed qualities very few people were game enough to mess with. Francis himself had had a hand in designing the synthetic joints that Rellin now had although he regretted even suggesting to Dieter that they should have tried them on the turian. To be frank, the synthetics had left him mentally unstable and extremely violent.

Francis Darian sat at one of the tables in the frigate's mess hall, a can of soda in one hand while his other held a spoon and was slowly spooning out ice cream from a tub he had snatched from the fridge earlier. Sitting at the table with him was Hermann Holst, dressed in his usual black uniform. Hermann had been rather nervous lately, a little off from his usual personality. It wasn't anything new though since everybody had been feeling a little anxious recently, especially since this whole operation had gone pear-shaped from the very beginning. That wasn't just including the mission to the Mars prison but the whole package business in general which had begun a year or so ago when Herbert von Schraeder had been thrown into prison.

Rellin Kia'Shan sat across the table from Francis, a large chunk of what looked the meat from a small reptile held in the turian's taloned hands. He bit away at it without much regard for wiping himself up, the meat's juices smothering his chin and hands while he ate. It was fairly disgusting to watch so Francis had made sure the nearby vid-screen had been switched on to provide something far less disturbing to view. Rellin put down the meat and wiped his taloned hands on a serviette before picking up the bottle of the turian made liquor he had in front of him and downing its contents within seconds. His synthetic eye was looking around the room while his organic eye kept concentrating on his food. It was disconcerting with both eyes moving and looking in different directions, the turian's artificial eye seeming to scan Francis and Hermann. Francis knew all the capabilities of that eye since he had helped design it so it was all the more unnerving when the turian looked at him with it.

Only a few minutes earlier that other turian, Kynarus Vakarian, had been escorted past while holding Schraeder at gunpoint. Francis knew the whole story about what had happened and what Dieter had planned, deciding to keep his word and make sure the exchange went smoothly. Francis could only hope it did, he didn't want to be dragged into a gun battle. After all, he was just an engineer: weapons weren't his specialty.

Francis and Hermann had been eating their dinner in relative silence save for the sound of Rellin chewing, the two humans having kept their attention mostly focused on the vid-screen on the wall ahead. Galactic news was always a tad interesting, especially when you had a hand in some of the things that were reported. Sure, Francis had nothing to do with the reported problems on Noveria and Feros but he did feel a little surprised to see something about the events on Talerian and the Citadel.

The journalists had got it all wrong, having been fed plenty of false information while Cerberus and the Zahni Corporation covered up their tracks. The shootings on Talerian were being explained as a mere gangland war while the shootings on the Citadel were being described as "failed terrorist action". Francis knew the truth though, just as well as Hermann and Rellin did. The truth was that damn turian Kynarus Vakarian and his human girlfriend had caused an awful lot more trouble than originally anticipated. Understandably, both Cerberus and Dieter wanted him removed from their path. So, Dieter had decided to force him to help in today's breakout operation at the Mars prison before leaving him there for the MCA to capture. Unfortunately that plan had also backfired since Kynarus Vakarian was now on this very ship, preparing to hand over Schraeder in exchange for his human girlfriend.

Francis wasn't like the other loyal Corporation types. He had been in the Corporation for a decade, his scores in his engineering courses having been almost perfect. Schraeder had employed him when the Corporation had been expanding to other worlds and Francis had had a hand in getting a factory on almost every major inhabited planet in all of Citadel space. Francis had only been young then, in his late teens to early twenties. Even so he was treated with respect from the older Corporation people and had grown to like Dieter and his radically different way of running the corporation.

Francis had been one of the people who had helped create the first of the synthetic soldiers. He knew the risks of creating artificial intelligences better than anyone but they had done it, slowly complementing their large security force with expendable and easily manufactured synthetic soldiers that could be programmed to a variety of roles. Of course, such things had to be kept secret and thus no one outside of the corporation knew of the existence of these artificial intelligences. Those that did learn of their existence were promptly removed.

Of course, Dieter hadn't been stupid. Artificial intelligences were dangerous things. They had made sure to limit the AI of their synthetic soldiers and their network, making sure they obeyed every order and could only think for themselves in a limited fashion. They made sure there were plenty of fail-safes in the network, the sort that would self-destruct any synthetic soldier that even displayed a hint of breaking from the network or thinking entirely for themselves. Francis had helped program and implement these fail-safes in the network and had been paid a fair amount of money for his troubles.

He had been dragged along on this search for the mysterious metal container by Dieter once they had had sufficient information to pinpoint a location. Francis hadn't asked to be dragged along; he had been made to do it since his expertise may be necessary when they finally found it. They hadn't yet which was why Dieter had been forced to go to his backup plan which involved breaking his former boss out of prison. This had been something everyone had wanted to avoid but as people always say, desperate times call for desperate measures. Now was a desperate time, especially since that Kynarus Vakarian was having an awful amount of success in generally interfering with the Corporation's plans.

Francis was watching the current news report with interest. Recently the media had been constantly rehashing the same old "first human Spectre" story. In fact, the whole thing was one big media circus, heralding the start of a new era in the galaxy. With the induction of the first human Spectre it could be fair to say that humanity was finally becoming accepted into the galactic community seeing as a Council seat wasn't too far off. The human Spectre everyone was so excited about? Commander Kate Shepard, some young and rather attractive woman from Earth who had been one of the few survivors of the assault on Torfan. Even on television she looked attractive, displaying a casual but inherently ruthless aura. She was definitely the right person for the position of Spectre.

This particular report had something to do with an interview recently conducted with the Commander on the Citadel. She was certainly a bit aggressive towards the questions the interviewer asked her but managed to twist the interview so that the interviewer was on her side. When asked about the joint effort of humans and turians building the prototype ship the SSV _Normandy_ she made it out that the humans had been the only ones involved in its creation. Rellin managed a glance at the screen when he heard this, his partially synthetic face twisted into the turian equivalent of a scowl.

"She's hot, yeah?" Hermann asked while he kept his gaze fixed on the screen. The content of the interview didn't particularly interest him; he was just watching it so he could get a good look of the Commander. Francis was taken off guard by the question but when it finally registered in his mind he replied, unable to help but agree.

"Yeah, I suppose," Francis answered. Rellin kept eating, ignoring the vid-screen and the conversation the two humans opposite him were having. He finished off his current chunk of lizard meat, moving onto the mushy vegetables that were on the plate as well. He didn't particularly look like he was looking forward to eating them but he chowed them down anyway, ignoring the sloppy bits that fell and stuck to his clothes.

"I heard that she's single," Hermann said, his gaze going towards Francis since the news report had finished. Commercials flashed onto the screen, advertising things from hair products to movies. Francis looked over at Hermann, shrugging.

"She's not your type," Francis said, "after all, isn't she like one of the most ruthless Commanders in the entire Alliance?"

"Ruthless? Dieter's ruthless, not her," Hermann said, his face contorting into a frown, "besides, the way she's going she'll probably run into the corporation soon enough. How many other Spectres have stumbled upon our operations?"

Francis thought for a moment, trying to remember the exact number. It was definitely more than ten but less than twenty, perhaps fifteen. Spectres, it seemed, were always finding the activities of the Zahni Corporation to be rather interesting, especially when illegal research was involved. So far none of that information had made it past the Spectre since they were always "removed" one way or another.

"Fifteen I think," Francis replied casually. He didn't care much for what the Corporation did, he just liked getting paid. They could kill as many Spectres as they wanted to; Francis wasn't concerned about that sort of thing. All he knew is that the Corporation was doing its best to protect humanity and make it better than the other races.

Rellin looked up when he heard Francis' reply. Turians were hard to read, especially when half of their face was comprised of a synthetic hybrid of flesh and steel.

"It's sixteen," he corrected flatly before returning to what was left on his plate, scooping up the last scraps of meet with his claws and stuffing them into his mouth. Francis shrugged while Hermann turned his gaze back to the vid-screen. The news was over now and instead some sort of old black and white movie had come on, some old ballad playing as three men on horses galloped off across a meadow. The main titles appeared over what was happening, the three men on their horses galloping into what appeared to be an old style Western town. Rellin managed a glance at the screen, scoffing when he saw what it was.

"Human entertainment," he said bluntly, "what crap."

Hermann looked insulted by the remark, scowling towards the turian while the movie was playing.

"Oh yeah, and turian stuff is so much better," Hermann said doubtfully, "I find it hard to believe turians can even act."  
Rellin narrowed his one good eye, probably the equivalent of a frown. He wiped his hands on his serviette again and then around his mouth and chin, finally cleaning himself up after partaking in a rather messy effort at eating.

"Turian entertainment doesn't contain so much violence as your human stuff does," Rellin said, "since we're not as violent a species as you."  
Coming from Rellin this sounded like a joke but both Hermann and Francis contained their laughter. Rellin was a sadistic turian, taking pleasure in killing whenever he got the chance. He was definitely one of the most violent turians Francis knew which was enough of a reason for the human to not trust him.

"That's a very biased opinion," Hermann said, containing his laughter, "not all human movies are violent."

"Most of them are," Rellin replied, standing up and out of his chair. He had finished his dinner although he was probably leaving since the humans sitting at the same table were annoying him. Hermann was about to reply when the PA system crackled into life, a voice with a thick American sounding accent cutting through the silence.

"…_is this thing on?"_ There was a pause. Francis realized this was definitely not an announcement from someone aboard the ship and he could see Hermann and Rellin were thinking as much as well. He realized that once again he would probably be put into a dangerous situation, his fears becoming realized when the voice continued speaking.

"_Alright, your corporation assholes, you're surrounded. If you cooperate no one will get killed. At least, nobody anyone gives a shit about anyway…"_

Hermann and Francis were out of the chairs as soon as the announcement was over. Rellin had already started walking away, probably to get a weapon while Hermann took out his pistol and checked the settings on it. Francis was only carrying a light standard issue Zahni Corporation pistol and nervously removed it from his holster, just as the lights in the mess hall and the rest of the ship changed to red. They began to flash, sirens wailing through the ship while officers and synthetic soldiers started racing past the mess hall.

Francis knew he was once again going to get shot at and he was fairly certain that Cerberus would be doing it. He had heard of Colonel Sommers, the main Cerberus guy in charge of the organization's search for the very same item Dieter was after. The man was supposed to have a very thick and recognizable accent, something which had been rather obvious over the announcement.

By now Rellin had disappeared, probably having gone to his quarters to get his equipment. Hermann was keeping a straight face, holding his pistol in his right hand as the radios on his and Francis' collars crackled into life. Gunfire and shouts could be heard over the channel while someone out in the hangar demanded backup. The MCA, it seemed, had surrounded the entire hangar.

Hermann looked at Francis, a grim expression on his face. He didn't seem too sure on what he should do, unlike the groups of officers and soldiers that were racing past the mess hall. Francis had no clue what he should be doing; he was just an engineer after all. He was no combat specialist although Hermann wasn't much different. There was a nickname for the Hermann's type; they called them "Sentinels" if Francis recalled correctly. They were the types of people who had both biotic and engineering skills but not at all much combat training.

"Francis, you stay here and make sure no one makes it to the elevator," Hermann said, nodding towards the ship's central elevator which was just nearby. It was the very same one that Kynarus Vakarian had used while passing by with Schraeder and Francis realized that if that turian was still alive he would probably be the first one to find out. He thought about it briefly, knowing completely that Kynarus Vakarian had killed scores of people in the past. Francis had never actually shot at anyone and killed them; he was too much of a pacifist to do that.

"Where are you going?" Francis asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. Hermann started towards one of the mess hall's exit, managing one last glance over at Francis before he was out of sight.

"I'm going out into the hangar to see what I can do," he replied, "you just sit tight and make sure no one makes it past the mess hall." He knew as well as anyone that Francis wasn't a soldier so he was doing him a favour, ordering him to guard the mess hall.

With that, Hermann had left. Francis remained standing in the same place for a few minutes while the alarms sounded around him and red lights flashed. If he was going to end up fighting he would need help, preferably synthetic help. He started on his way down a nearby corridor with a good idea of what he was going to do.

In two places on board the ship were small rooms where the synthetic soldiers posted on board went to power down when they weren't needed. If he was lucky than the room just down the corridor would still have a few inside, left lying dormant until someone woke them up. He knew how to wake them up seeing he had helped build them. He knew that if he was going to end up fighting he would make sure he had synthetics with him, doing the shooting for him and making sure he wasn't hurt at all. Hell, at times like these he felt pleased with himself for being so damn smart.

* * *

"Why didn't we just kill him when we had a chance?"

"Because I forgot how important he was, alright? I sort of had other things on my mind, like getting out of here alive…"

Katherine rolled her eyes as the pair of them sprinted down the corridors of Dieter's frigate, hurrying to make it back to the meeting room. Kynarus was in the lead, his longer legs and slender turian frame enabling him to move at a quicker pace than any human. He legs ached and so did his head, along with his bloodied right shoulder but he ignored his body's complaints by setting his mind on the task at hand. He had been stupid to leave Schraeder lying unconscious in the conference room but then again he had been far more concerned with getting off of the ship. The whole ship was lit up by flashing red alert lights, casting eerie glows throughout the interior of the frigate. The distant sounds of weapons fire could be heard from a few decks below, probably from whoever was fighting off the boarders that the announcer had mentioned earlier.

Kynarus could only hope Schraeder was where they had left him, passed out on the floor with his left knee-cap blown out and a bleeding nose. No wonder he had been so angry, he was getting a beaten from Kynarus for no apparent reason. The turian though had been angry enough to try and prove his point to Dieter by beating the crap out of his former boss and had been lucky to shoot Hans before he blasted Katherine. If that had happened, well…He had no idea what he would have done if Katherine had been killed. He glanced towards her as the pair ran through the corridors on their way back to the conference room, unable to feel a bit pleased with himself. He had saved her life after all; perhaps there was hope for him yet. Once this was all over he had the good idea that maybe the two of them should find somewhere to settle down, preferably on an out of the way world on the edges of known space. Kynarus had a shuttle which was probably impounded back at the Citadel but it wouldn't be too hard to get it back.

"Something on your mind?" Katherine asked, the pair slowing to a jog as they neared their destination.

Kynarus shrugged, not too sure if there was.

"I've just been thinking," he said, looking around to make sure they weren't being watched, "about our future. What are we going to do when this is all over?"  
The pair stopped, close to the conference room's door. Katherine had a thoughtful expression on her face, probably thinking her answer through thoroughly. Eventually she only smiled at him, her eyes going to his as they stood facing each other.

"We have to survive this first," she said quietly. Kynarus nodded, he couldn't agree more. The odds were definitely against them and the longer they spent on this ship the more chance there was of someone who wanted to kill them to find them.

There was noise from the end of the corridor and immediately Kynarus turned around, pistol raised. Katherine hadn't noticed and so when she saw the turian's reaction she turned to face down the corridor, weapon held at the ready in a stable two-handed grip.

A pair of men in Corporation security officer's uniforms came running down the corridor, their rifles held by their sides as they ran. The moment they came into view Kynarus and Katherine opened fire, the bullets tearing through the air and slamming into the pair of officers. The officers spun and twisted in some sort of demented death-dance, falling over as their rifles fell to the carpeted floor. Kynarus raced over to the two corpses, checking to see if they were dead before picking up their rifles. He threw one to Katherine who caught it with ease while he kept one for himself. He had to hold the grip in his left hand since his right was missing the all-important middle finger but the remaining two was enough to hold the weapon on the grip beneath the barrel. Once he was satisfied he could handle it as well as he could if it were in his right hand he started for the conference room's door, finding the panel by it was red with the words "RESTRICTED ACCESS" displayed across it.

"Door's locked," Katherine said when she saw it. Kynarus could see that so as a response he raised his rifle and fired a few rounds into the panel, watching it spark and flash. He didn't know whether the door would open or not if he did this but he was relieved when it did open, revealing the darkened conference room as it had been left before.

The body of Hans Berenger lay where he had fallen and the holographic screen's projector was shot up and broken as Kynarus had made it. However, there was one rather important thing missing from the room and the turian felt his blood run cold for a moment when he saw what it was.

"Schraeder's gone," he said simply, looking at the spot on the floor where Schraeder had been lying about ten minutes ago. Kynarus knew what this meant and once again realized that things had begun to go bad for him again. He slammed his right fist angrily into the wall, glancing around the room in the vain hope of seeing the sick bastard. He was nowhere to be seen in the conference room so Kynarus started to one of the four adjoining doors, checking each but only finding a few small empty offices behind each. Katherine noticed his anger and approached him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder as Kynarus went up to the conference table and sung a hand against the lamp there, sending it crashing onto the floor.

"So, Schraeder's that guy you broke from prison?" Katherine asked. Kynarus realized she had no idea about the full story, having spent the whole day locked up in a set of quarters elsewhere on the ship. He turned around and looked towards her, noticing she had a somewhat soothing gaze fixed on him. She seemed to be trying to get him to calm down and it was definitely working, the turian feeling his heart-rate slow and anger subside.

"Yeah, that's right," Kynarus replied as she took her hand off of his shoulder. He looked around the room again, his eyes looking towards the open door to check to see if anyone had come in. No one had so he figured they were safe enough to talk for now.

"He's Dieter's former boss," Kynarus said, turning around to face Katherine, "and he's definitely more of a loose cannon than Dieter. That may explain why he was locked up in prison."

"Why does Dieter want him?"

Kynarus wasn't too sure about this particular matter but thought he had a good idea. Schraeder definitely knew something about the package, the very item Dieter and Cerberus had been chasing for all of this time. Whatever was inside it must have been really important considering there were so many fights over it.

"I'm betting he knows something about the package," Kynarus replied, "that's probably why Dieter wants him. He's worn out all of his other options so breaking his former boss out of prison seems like a last ditch effort. I have a feeling it's not going to be a wasted effort…"

Katherine noticed him trail off as he realized something, something important. It seemed safe to think that Dieter's former boss had been the one to start off this whole business about finding the mysterious package, it's just that Dieter didn't want him to interfere with his own operations unless absolutely necessary.

"What? What is it?"

It was beginning to make sense now. Dieter had only come to power in the corporation about a year ago from what Kynarus had heard, Schraeder having been caught and thrown in prison. Whatever for Kynarus didn't know but he had a feeling it was for a multitude of reasons, all to do with going out of his way to find the package. When Dieter took charge he resumed the search, coming to the conclusion that Schraeder was better off in prison and out of their way. Kynarus and Katherine had so far interfered with Dieter's plans on several occasions and had probably made him enact his last-ditch plan which had been to break Schraeder from prison in the hopes that he knew something about the package. Kynarus looked towards Katherine, realizing the full importance of the man they had just let get away.

"We have to find him," Kynarus said, "if he has any helpful information about the package then chances are Dieter's going to find it. We can't let that happen…"  
Katherine looked at him doubtfully.

"Why? What's so important about this guy anyway?"

"He knows something about the package," Kynarus said, shaking his head. He felt like kicking himself for having stupidly missed their chance to get Schraeder. Now he could be anywhere in the ship and chances were he was finding his way to Schraeder, probably in an effort to give the new Corporation boss a good talking. He couldn't have gone far though; someone with their left knee-cap blown out wouldn't be able to move very fast. Kynarus looked at the floor for a hint of a blood trail but found none, implying that Schraeder knew how to cover his tracks.

Katherine was watching him with a slightly confused look on her face, still unsure about this Schraeder business. She turned away, her gaze going back to the open door as she checked to see if anyone was coming in. The coast was clear for now, most of the Corporation goons on board preoccupied elsewhere. Kynarus looked a little angry, more at himself than anyone or anything else. He kicked one of the chairs with some force, knocking it over in an effort to ease his frustration.

"We could have got him," he said, "but…damn it!" He shook his head, turning to Katherine who was only watching him with a slight smile. She seemed to be enjoying seeing him this way and this only added to his frustration.

"What's so funny?" He asked when he saw Katherine's amused expression, "I just screwed up and now you're laughing at me?"

"You can't win them all," she said simply and in a reassuring manner. When he didn't answer she simply shrugged, starting towards the open door. She seemed satisfied that their work here was done. Kynarus had no option but to follow her, turning around to start on his way out when a pair of officers charged into the conference room, rifles raised.

"There they are!" One of them exclaimed, pulling the trigger on his assault rifle. Kynarus dived to one side while Katherine returned fire, sidestepping the first volley of rounds as she fired her pistol. One of the officers spun and fell, blood splattering onto the wall behind him. The other stepped back and went behind the edge of the doorway, remaining there while the firing continued. Katherine tried aiming around the side but was missing, her shots zipping through the open doorway and hitting the wall beyond.

Kynarus got up, his pistol raised. He knew the walls inside the ship were as thick as any normal house-hold wall save for the ones against the ship's actual hull. Chances are the wall the officer was behind wasn't providing too much protection and Kynarus figured he'd find out, firing a few shots at the spot of wall in front of where the officer was hiding. There was a shout and the officer fell into view through the doorway, landing on the floor with a surprise look on his face.

When the pair was dead Kynarus lowered his weapon, looking over at Katherine who had begun eyeing him carefully. She managed a wry smile, nodding towards the dead officer in the doorway.

"Good shot," she complimented.

Kynarus simply shrugged, following Katherine back out into the corridor. It was free of enemies and they started back to the elevator, both of them with the intention of escaping the ship and the hangar. How they would escape Mars without getting the MCA, Cerberus or the Corporation on their tails was something they would need to work out as they went along. Kynarus wasn't looking forward to it seeing as three powerful organizations seemed to want him dead but he was fairly confident he would pull through one way or another. Right now though, getting off of Dieter's frigate was the current task at hand and it seemed to be surprisingly easy. Of course, knowing his luck things could change and go against him at any moment so he preferred to keep this thought in his mind as he and Katherine entered the elevator.

The trip was done in silence save for the repeating sound of the wailing alert siren that had been on since the chaos had first erupted. The sounds of weapons fire from within the ship were decreasing, as if one of the opposing sides was gaining the upper hand. He wasn't sure whether he wanted it to be the Mars Colonial Authority or the Zahni Corporation since both were equally as dangerous. Chances were that if the Corporation was winning him and Katherine would have an easier time of escaping the hangar unnoticed. If it were the MCA that was gaining the upper hand than perhaps things would be a little trickier since they would find it much easier to track him and Katherine if they escaped into the colony. After all, the MCA ran the colony so it would make sense if they had surveillance everywhere.

Kynarus knew that his actions at the prison which had involved slaughtering countless amounts of MCA officers wouldn't go unnoticed through the Human Systems Alliance. They would be after him wherever he went seeing as he would have become a wanted criminal. He was a "cop killer" to put it simply and cop killers were prone to getting "special" treatment from law enforcement agencies.

The elevator stopped and Kynarus was expecting the mess hall outside to be empty as it had been before. He confidently stepped out of the elevator, Katherine following him into the decidedly messed up mess hall. The old black and white human-made movie was still playing on the vid-screen, providing some illumination to the darkened room. The flashing red lights in the ceiling kept casting eerie glows throughout the mess hall, sending it into relative darkness one second and then a red hue the next. As he and Katherine stepped out into the mess hall they became aware of the six pairs of glowing green eyes watching them and the six rifles that were pointed at them.

Kynarus froze as he felt his heart stop from shock momentarily. His grip on his pistol tightened when he saw the six synthetic soldiers spread throughout the mess hall, seeing that they had been waiting for him. Three rifles were trained on him while the others were trained on Katherine. One human figure, considerably less well-built than the bulky synthetic soldiers, stood at the centre of the group. He eyed the turian and the human female closely, some curiosity crossing hie features.

Kynarus glanced over at Katherine, seeing she had lowered her weapon for now as she surveyed their situation. The stern but doubtful look on her face communicated the fact that she knew their chances of getting out of this one alive were quite slim.

"You must be Kynarus," the human said. He looked familiar, Kynarus realizing that he had seen this human before. He had first seen this human on Talerian during his confrontation with Dieter in the office complex. Then he had safely sat watching the confrontation on the sidelines.

The second time Kynarus had seen him had been in the maintenance tunnels of the Citadel when he had barged into the room that had contained Dieter and a bunch of officers. This guy had managed to escape with Dieter and that other guy Kynarus kept seeing with him. Chances were that this particular human wasn't as combat savvy as the rest of Dieter's troop.

The green glowing visors on the synthetic soldiers watched the pair intently, not once shifting their gaze. They were programmed to be ruthlessly efficient at combat after all, lacking standard emotions. That was one thing that made them dangerous since it made sure they were cold and calculating. Kynarus put a hand to his waist, getting a grip on one of the grenade discs he had been carrying since his romp at the prison. He gripped it in his right hand, the darkness of the mess hall ensuring it was concealed from view. The synthetic soldiers didn't seem to notice, their gazes fixed down the sights of their weapons while they took aim.

"You know, I'm going to get a rather handy reward once I kill you," the human said, "Dieter's going to be pleased when you're out of the way. There was a chance that maybe you could work for us, but I'm thinking that's not going to happen."

"And who the hell are you?" Kynarus asked bluntly, arming the grenade he gripped in his right hand. All he had to do was release the switch and it would start ticking down. He just needed to make sure he found the perfect opportunity to use it, his gaze going over each of the six soldiers and then the human standing in between them.

The human seemed a little miffed at the fact Kynarus didn't know who he was, frowning with some annoyance towards the turian. Katherine remained where she was, not daring to move in case that was enough of an excuse for the soldiers to gun her down. After all, the conversation was centred on Kynarus and not her so she figured that she was a little unimportant.

"I'm Francis Darian," the human replied casually, "and I'm about to get a promotion. That is, I'm going to get one for killing you." In the darkness the human seemed to smile, contemplating his prospects. Kynarus didn't think the human should be too excited although it was obvious Dieter had sunk his claws into this guy enough to make him a fanatic to the corporation.

"Obstacles like you have to be removed," Francis continued, "so far you've interfered a little too much in my boss' plan. I'm afraid I won't feel any remorse for killing a turian though…" He gazed at Kynarus, completely oblivious to the fact that the turian was holding a grenade.

Kynarus watched as the human shifted his gaze to the nearest of the black armoured synthetic soldiers.

"Fire at will," he told them, "make sure they're both dead. And make it quick too; I want to get this over and done with."  
Kynarus threw the grenade then and there. It glittered briefly in the minimal light as it flew through the air, sticking itself to Francis Darian's uniform. It took the human a moment to notice it, putting his hand to where it was clinging to his clothing and tugging at it gently, unsure of what it was. Gazing down at it he gave a look of surprise which soon changed to one of terror, seconds before the soldiers opened fire.

Kynarus dived behind the nearest table but not before he felt something hot hit him in the stomach, a burning sensation shooting through him as he landed on the floor. Katherine opened fire as bullets lanced through the air, blowing holes in the wall, a few hitting the vid-screen and killing the picture. Sparks flew and smoke billowed from the holes, ruining the mess hall's only vid-screen.

The grenade detonated before the soldier's could change their aim. The explosion echoed throughout the mess hall, a plume of smoke and fire erupting in the centre of the room. Chairs and tables flew outwards from the blast, a hole being blown into the floor beneath and revealing cable and pipes in the floor below, white smoke erupting from a ruptured pipe in return. The soldiers around the explosion was knocked over, four of them having limbs blown off while the other two were knocked to the floor relatively unscathed. As the smoke cleared, pieces of Francis Darian floated down from the ceiling and through the empty air where he had been standing. Kynarus sat up from where he had landed from his dive, looking with some pity at where the human had once been standing. All that was left was a smouldering hole in the floor, a plume of white smoke pouring from a ruptured pipe below. Before he could admire the scene any longer, the throbbing but stinging pain in Kynarus' stomach caught the turian's attention. Putting a hand there it came back sticky with blood, the turian feeling along his armour for where the bullet had entered. It was more to the right side of his stomach, a wound that he was thinking he could simply shake off. Funnily enough this thought was proved wrong when he suddenly began to feel sick, a nauseating feeling worse than the one he had had earlier passing through his system. A heavy feeling began to set in at his stomach and as the seconds wore on his breathing became heavier and shallower, as if something was pressing against his lungs.

Katherine must have seen the way he was sitting up, not moving while one hand clutched at his stomach. He fell backwards a she approached, noticing that his senses had become somewhat subdued. His hearing had become weaker and he his vision slightly blurry, that light-headed feeling he had had before coming back in full force. He found it hard to concentrate, even as Katherine's pretty visage appeared looking down at him, concern crossing her face as her hands went to his wound. She said something but he didn't hear it, seconds before she turned her gaze back in the direction of the mostly "dead' synthetic soldiers. She fired a few shots at the two surviving ones as they started t rise back on their feet, taking both down and allowing her to shift her gaze back to the turian that lay beneath her. She said something else, something only Kynarus caught part of.

"…get something…you…" She said, disappearing from his view. Kynarus lay where he was, finding it increasingly difficult to breathe as the minutes ticked by. He was barely aware of Katherine's absence; rather his mind had begun to wander to other topics of thought. He began thinking of whether or not he was going to die, a thought that hadn't really occurred to him for a long time. He never thought about dying, he just hoped it didn't happen to him. After all, he was only twenty-nine.

Katherine returned a few minutes later, although it seemed more like a few hours to Kynarus. He lay watching her as she bent down, pulling open a tub of medigel she must have found somewhere nearby. She pulled away the armour plating at Kynarus' stomach, revealing the under-suit he was wearing underneath. Ripping away part of that she started rubbing the medigel into the wound, making it sting rather painfully. Kynarus groaned, shifting uncomfortably where he lay while Katherine went to work. Kynarus felt the heavy feeling in his chest clear partially, allowing him to breathe only slightly easier. However, it was still a long way from being comfortable.

Once she was done Katherine put an arm around him and helped him up. He unsteadily rose to his feet, barely able to hear what Katherine was saying to him as he got up. His wound still stung like hell and he was still having trouble breathing but at least he felt a little better, grabbing onto Katherine for some support before regaining his footing. He looked towards her, seeing the genuine concern on her face and managing the turian equivalent of a smile.

"Can you walk?" She asked as the turian's hearing beginning to clear. He tried to take a deep breath but found it rather difficult; instead he took smaller shallower ones that still left him short of breath.

"Yeah…I can walk…" He wheezed, removing himself from her grip. He didn't need her help, he could still walk and as far as he knew he could still shoot. Katherine was eyeing him doubtfully, trying to figure out whether he would be alright or not. It was rather obvious he needed proper medical attention but right now that was unavailable, leaving the young turian in a questionable state of physical health.

"We'll get you to a hospital when we're out in the colony," Katherine said, "right now we need to get out of here. I'm pretty sure I know the way to the exit so just stick close to me, alright?"

Kynarus didn't argue. He knew that taking him to a clinic or a hospital would just allow the MCA to find him easier but he didn't voice this fact, instead following Katherine out of the mess hall and into a nearby corridor. He lagged behind a few metres, unable to keep up as he tried catching his breath. He didn't want to wear himself out, he was already tired enough as it was and was finding it hard to draw the energy to move. Chances were that he would pass out sooner or later; he just hoped that happened when they were in a safe location. Katherine occasionally glanced back at him to see how he was going, the pair pressing on through the ship. They stepped over several corpses, both MCA officers and Zahni Corporation goons as they neared the lower deck exit ramp that Kynarus had used to get into the ship earlier. Bullet holes were scattered across the walls and the sounds of shooting and shouting were louder, coming from outside in the hangar and increasing in volume the closer they got to the exit. Getting out of the ship was one thing, getting out of the hangar was another.

* * *

Out in the hangar was definitely a lot less safe than being inside the ship. MCA officers and Zahni Corporation goons had been duking it out with each other for over fifteen minutes, grenades going off and catwalks being blown off of their hinges. Bodies from either side littered the floor of the hangar while groups of officers ran for cover, weapons firing at the opposing forces that were retreating from the hangar. It appeared that the MCA was losing but both sides had taken plenty of casualties although most of the Corporation's casualties had consisted of those easily replaced synthetic soldiers.

Katherine managed a glance behind her, making sure Kynarus was still following her. He didn't look too good and seemed to be breathing shallowly, his right hand at where he had been shot in the stomach. It seemed to be bleeding somewhat profusely but the turian was managing to use his last few reserves of strength to keep moving. The pair headed behind a stack of crates marked with the Zahni Corporation's logo, watching as the opposing sides were concentrated too much on fighting each other to notice the two others that had found their way into their midst.

Unlike Kynarus, Katherine hadn't been forced to become part of some squad to breakout Dieter's former boss. Rather, she had been captured and received a compound fracture in her left arm for her troubles. When she had woken up from unconsciousness she had found herself locked up in a fairly rudimentary set of quarters aboard Dieter's frigate and had found that they had patched up her broken arm to a reasonable standard although it was still a bit stiff. She had always had the feeling that Dieter liked her, one that had obviously helped her during her time as their prisoner. Dieter's liking for her had made sure that no harm came to her during her imprisonment and that she was looked after well enough, given food and water whenever she requested any. She hadn't been told about Kynarus or where he had been sent, her questions about him having been ignored completely. Instead Dieter had tried having a few nice conversations but she had made a nuisance of herself, insulting him whenever she got the chance.

During her stay on board the ship she had learnt a few things about Dieter and his friends. She knew who the immediate few in his circle of friends were and also knew that Kynarus had killed a few of them already. She also knew about their opinions of Kynarus and his constant interference with their schemes, learning that Dieter planned to have him killed soon. Obviously those plans hadn't quite worked out since the turian was alive and crouched near her behind the crates, looking a bit worse for wear but still relatively alright. She knew she had gotten off far easier compared to Kynarus and could only imagine what he had been through. There would be more time for discussions about each other's experiences later on though seeing as they were in the middle of a firefight.

Katherine hadn't been able to leave the ship during her time as a captive and so had only had a vague idea of where they were. She had heard it was Mars and earlier she had had n idea why they had come here until she had learned from Kynarus that it had something to do with breaking somebody called Schraeder out of prison. Quite stupidly they had let this Schraeder guy escape and Kynarus seemed a little frustrated about that. She still wasn't too sure why Schraeder was s important and could only offer some reassuring words to the turian in order to ease his annoyed mood. Apparently Schraeder knew something of the package but she wasn't sure on the whole story so she really couldn't start guessing now. To her, it was all just speculation.

Up ahead a group of Corporation synthetic soldiers were pushing ahead, their weapons firing towards some scattered MCA officers. The officers were easily mowed down in the hail of weapons fire but more just seemed to be flowing in constantly, appearing up on the walkways above and on the floor below. Some of the synthetic soldiers ran for cover while the others were cut down, sparks flying as their internal workings fried.

Katherine kept her head down, glancing over at Kynarus. He had slumped against the crates, his right hand still clutching his bleeding stomach while he kept a grip on the pistol he held in his left hand. His right hand was no good for wielding weapons though, the middle finger having been completely blown off. Katherine assumed it was from someone who had incredibly good aim since not even she could hope to get in a shot so precise it could blow off the one finger.

Kynarus looked tired but on turians it was hard to tell. He returned her gaze, trying to make the turian equivalent of a smile but finding it a little hard to do. No use smiling when there was nothing to smile about.

There was movement ahead to the right, followed by the bark of an assault rifle. Bullets slammed into the front of the crates and Katherine ducked, Kynarus not even budging since he couldn't find the energy. When there was a pause in the shooting Katherine leaned around the side of the crates, finding the pair of MCA officers crouched behind a parked rover up ahead. She pulled her assault rifle's trigger, spraying rounds across the top of the enemy's cover and watching as the pair of officers spun and fell.

She glanced back down at Kynarus, seeing that he was in no state to fight. He looked up at her, a sullen look on his hard turian features. He shook his head, groaning quietly as he shifted where he sat.

"I'll slow you down," he said, sounding strained, "just leave me here…"

Katherine wasn't going to do such a thing. She ignored his request, knowing that he was only hoping to ensure her safety by having her leave him here. Without him slowing her down there was a better chance of her making an escape. Of course, Katherine wasn't about to leave him here especially with the way she felt about him. She looked around the hangar, shifting her gaze through the firefight and fixing it on the rover ahead. That was definitely a good escape option; she just had to get there without getting killed. There was about twenty metres of open floor between her and the rover, followed by stacks of crates and a forklift. Corporation soldiers and MCA officers were still shooting it out, grenades detonating and bodies falling as the fighting continued. Hopefully they would be too busy killing each other to notice her, this thought taking her to her decision. She looked down at Kynarus and he looked up at her, shaking his head.

"Just go, damn it!" He said, ending his sentence abruptly as he started to cough. All she had to do was get that rover and drive back here and get him inside, it couldn't be too difficult. Then the two of them could speed out of the hangar and into the colony, hopefully remaining relatively unnoticed while the two opposing sides fought each other.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she said casually, noticing the disdain on the turian's face. He was about to say something but she had already started around the crates, beginning her sprint towards the Corporation rover.

She ignored the bullets that zipped past her and the ones that blew chunks out of the floor at her feet, managing a look around her to see who was shooting at her. Up on one of the remaining walkways above was a pair of MCA officers, firing their assault rifles in her direction as she ran. Katherine found that she only had a short distance to go before getting into cover and so dived, sliding across the relatively smooth floor and swivelling so that it was her back, and not her head, that slammed into a container in front of her. She brought her assault rifle up and fired up at the two officers, sending a volley right across the pair. They both fell into awkward but motionless positions, not getting back up.

She stood up, making her way behind the containers as she neared the rover. She knew that once she was inside the rover she would be relatively safe, the armour protecting her from any bullets that came her way. Katherine started jogging towards the rover; a smile creeping onto her face when she realized that soon enough she and Kynarus would be out of here…

She managed a grunt of surprise when the force of what felt like a locomotive hit her in the side which briefly enveloped her in a blue-rippling sheet of energy. It disappeared as she sailed through the air a short distance, hitting the side of a container rather painfully and remaining dazed as the unseen human figure crept up on her.

It just occurred to her that she had been hit by some sort of biotic throw. She looked towards the human figure and saw that it was that Hermann Holst guy, the one who according to Dieter was in charge of the Corporation's biotic forces. She went for her rifle which had fallen to the floor nearby but Hermann simply thrust out a hand and sent the rifle flying out of reach. He had a determined look on his face, his eyes set on Katherine and filled with a surprising ferocity.

Katherine went for her pistol but Hermann raised his, pointing it at her and inclining her to drop her right hand which had just begun to touch the butt of her holstered pistol. She looked up at the Corporation goon, able to see he was looking rather annoyed. The reason for this was unknown to her but she assumed it had something to do with the shooting and shouting going on around them.

"Dieter hasn't specified whether or not I should kill you," he said, looking around quickly, "but he did say to kill the turian. Where is that scaly bastard?"  
Katherine wasn't about to betray Kynarus' position and simply kept her mouth shut, moving her eyes away from the disgruntled biotic specialist and pretending to ignore his sheer presence. Hermann marched towards her angrily, grabbing her by the collar and lifting her onto her feet with surprising force. His face was close to hers and he looked furious.

"Damn it, where the fuck is the turian?" He was shouting now, right into Katherine's face. She frowned, turning to look at him and cracking a slight grin at the same time.

"No need to yell, I'm right in front of you," she said. In response Hermann threw her back against the container, causing her to have to balance herself against it in order to keep herself from falling. She watched Hermann to see what he would do and noticed that he had lost that original ferocity. He didn't seem too enthusiastic about what he was doing, instead keeping his pistol trained on her because it was his job while he frowned. He obviously had no idea about what he should be doing. Katherine decided to take advantage of this, putting her hands up to show she wasn't going for her weapon.

"Does Dieter pay you well?" She asked, ignoring the shouting and shooting occurring throughout the hangar. Something exploded on one of the walkways above, sending it crashing down onto a stack of metal crates. Following this about four MCA officers fell to their deaths, landing on the containers with the sounds of bones breaking.

"What?" Hermann raised an eyebrow, finding it hard to hear her over the noise of the battle. Katherine was about to answer when the radio piece at Hermann's collar sounded into life, Dieter's voice coming on. He sounded frantic, as if he was excited about something or incredibly frightened. It was hard to tell but Katherine did hear what he said, concentrating on listening to his voice.

"_Hermann, this is Dieter,"_ Dieter said, _"are you there?"_

Hermann rolled his eyes, flicking a small switch at the radio and speaking into it.

"Yeah, I'm here," he replied, "What is it?"

"_Well, Schraeder and I have just made a breakthrough. I want you back on the ship in five minutes; otherwise we'll leave without you."_

Hermann looked suitably surprised to hear this, especially the part about leaving him behind. Katherine kept listening, trying her best to hear most of the conversation over the sounds of weapons fire and shouting, mixed in with the occasionally explosion, which were occurring around them.

"What? Where are we going?" Hermann sounded surprised as well and wasn't able to keep his professional business-like tone in place. Dieter chuckled on the other end of the signal, probably at Hermann's reaction.

"_Buenos Aires. Now get the fuck back on the ship. I don't want to leave a good man like you behind."_

Hermann nodded, and then shifted his gaze back to Katherine.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," he said, "it's just that I found that Katherine woman. Do you want me to bring her on board?"

There was a moment's pause. Katherine didn't now what was worse: getting captured or getting killed. Dieter had no more use for her but he could take her prisoner again in order to fulfil whatever desires he had for her. Katherine didn't like this thought one bit and tried concentrating on something else.

"_Kill her,"_ Dieter replied after a long enough pause to think his answer through. Was that a hint of regret Katherine heard in his voice? It was hard to tell, the background noise was loud enough to make his voice somewhat difficult to hear.

"Whatever sir," Hermann said, switching off the radio. He turned to Katherine again, taking a good long look towards her as he contemplated his next move. Katherine could see he wasn't too keen on carrying out Dieter's orders, more concerned about getting back on board the frigate in time than to bother with her.

"Sorry," Hermann said innocently, taking aim at Katherine's head. She closed her eyes, waiting for the shot to end all shots. Surprisingly, there was a loud shout from nearby.

"Hey assholes!"

Katherine opened her eyes, relieved that she was still alive. She was also relieved to see that Hermann was no longer aiming the gun at her, instead having turned around in reaction to the shout. Ahead was an MCA officer who must have just rounded the container near him, rifle raised and a confident beaming expression on his face. Hermann didn't react quick enough to counter this new threat, the officer's rifle firing a badly aimed swathe in the biotic specialist's direction. There was a spray of blood and Hermann fell over, yelling in pain at the chunks that had been blown out of his legs.

Katherine took her chance to react, pulling out her pistol and running for cover behind another container as the officer fired again. Bullets left scorch marks in the metal container behind her but otherwise none met their mark. Hermann, meanwhile, turned his full attention towards the lone officer and thrust out a hand, the officer's figure being shrouded in a haze of blue-white rippling energy which seemed to distort the very air around it. The officer began to scream as the "Warp" attack ate away at him, burning his armour and his face, rendering him effectively blind.

The "Warp" as it was commonly known was a somewhat inhumane attack that specially trained biotics could unleash on their opponents. It wreaked havoc on a subatomic level, the energy able to eat away at any known substance which included human flesh and bone. Hermann didn't seem to have any problem in using it, watching with indifference as the officer clawed at the air and then at his face which had been effectively melted to the bone, falling onto the floor and writhing around for a few more seconds before falling still. The rippling energy around him had gone, leaving a smoking and partially eaten away corpse.

Katherine stepped over to Hermann, averting her eyes from the grisly sight of the dead officer. Hermann turned to her, trying to rise back onto his feet but falling onto all fours and groaning. Blood seeped from bullet holes in his legs, staining his regulation Zahni Corporation trousers a dark red and trailing on the floor as he began to crawl for his pistol. That pistol lay a short distance away and seeing that he was at her mercy Katherine stepped over and kicked the pistol, sending it sliding well out of reach. Hermann managed a cry of dismay, looking up at her with a pleading expression.

"Please…I…I didn't want to kill you…"  
Katherine ignored his pathetic pleas and instead kicked him in the face with her right foot, sending him onto the floor with a broken nose. He couldn't really enjoy having a broken nose though, ending up unconscious after the kick. He lay motionless but was still breathing, something which Katherine found as a bit of a relief. She didn't want to stoop to his level and kill him when he was utterly defenceless. Something like that would make a stain on her conscience.

Katherine started for the rover, running for the parked Corporation vehicle and finding the doors to be unlocked. The battle in the hangar had begun to wear down but there were still plenty of MCA officers and Corporation goons around, shooting from cover and attempting to outflank. No one seemed to be gaining any ground in the battle now but Katherine did notice that the Corporation goons, save for the synthetic soldiers, were starting back for the frigate.

Katherine sat herself in the driver's seat, checking over the dashboard. She was surprised to find a dead man in the passenger's seat, lying slumped across the top of the dashboard with a bullet hole through the window by his side. She figured he had been trying to make an escape before some sharpshooter plugged him through the window, not even giving him a chance to shift into the driver's seat during his hurried entry into the vehicle. She found that the keycard to start the rover's engines was still clutched in his hand and she took it, pushing him out of the open passenger door and closing it behind the corpse. She then closed the driver's side door and used the keycard to start the engines, looking around for where she had left Kynarus. She found the correct set of crates close to where the frigate was parked, unable to see the turian but quite sure he was still there.

She put the rover into first gear and turned it towards the stack of containers, finding that the sudden noise of the engines had gotten the attention of the remaining forces left in the hangar. Guns were trained on her and opened fire, forcing her to duck below the dashboard and take her eyes off of where she was going. The windscreen smashed and so did the side windows although thankfully none of the bullets came through the sides and hit her.

Katherine sat back up when the shooting subsided, watching as the last few Corporation officers made their way up the lower entrance/exit ramp of Dieter's frigate. The ramp closed behind them, leaving several of the synthetic soldiers behind to ward off the remaining MCA officers. Obviously the synthetic soldiers had been ordered to stand their ground, something which they were doing well.

Katherine found Kynarus slumped where she had left him, still conscious but looking a little delirious. He watched her arrive in the small shot-up rover with some curiosity, his eyes meeting hers as she pulled up by him and opened the passenger side door. She looked down at him, managing a reassuring smile. They were almost out of this now, all he had to do was get in and they could get out of here.

"You…came back…for me," he managed to say.

"I wasn't about to leave you here," she said, "so just get in."

Kynarus looked around to see if they were being threatened. When he was satisfied that they were clear he slowly rose to his feet, swaying unsteadily as he made his way to the open side door. Climbing inside he shut the door behind him and immediately slumped back in the seat, looking towards her and managing a weak smile. He closed his eyes seconds later, going limp where he lay.

Katherine reached over to check for signs of life, feeling her heart skip a beat when she saw him slump in his chair like he did. She was relieved to find that he was still breathing, albeit slowly and shallowly as if something was restricting his lungs. She would get him some proper help soon enough, at least she hoped she would be able to. It wasn't something she wanted to think about but chances were he might end up dying by the time she got to a clinic or something…

The roar of a set of ship engines caught her attention. Red lights in the hangar began to flash as the hangar doors above began to open, a brief rush of air following as they revealed the starry night sky of Mars. Katherine fumbled in the glove box for some sort of breathing apparatus, finding one and placing it around Kynarus' head so he had the luxury of breathable air. Her, on the other hand, held her breath and watched as Dieter's frigate retracted its docking clamps. The engines billowed blue energy, the ship swivelling around as it ascended and sent the scorching energy over a row of MCA officers nearby. They were reduced to smouldering husks a few seconds later, the frigate taking off and rising through the open bay doors. Below MCA officers had put on their armour's breathing masks and had opened fire, their small arms unable to even dent the ship's hull.

Katherine felt her lungs almost about to burst and so let out her breath, trying to take another one in but finding that the air had suddenly gotten thinner. She managed to take in enough air to make another reasonably sized breath, watching as Dieter's frigate rose high in the night sky before zooming off and out of view suddenly. The ship left a faint blue trail behind it, this being a mere by-product of the element zero fuel it ran on. The hangar doors slammed shut and the red lights throughout the hangar switched off, replaced with the normal white ones that helped brighten up the hangar and make it seem somewhat more inviting. Katherine released her breath and gasped for fresh air, finding that the hangar's supply had been replenished by the ventilation systems. She pulled the breathing mask off of Kynarus' face before she put her foot on the accelerator and turned to the hangar's entrance, ignoring the few MCA officers that were left as they opened fire in her direction.

She knew where Dieter was headed but she didn't know whether it would be worth her and Kynarus' time to pursue them. Right now Kynarus needed medical attention and she would have to be the one to get it for him. Dieter and Schraeder would have to be put on the backburner for a while, even if it meant giving them a head-start in the renewed search for the package. That must have been what Dieter had been excited about over the radio, she realized. They must have worked it out to be located somewhere in or around Buenos Aires…

She didn't have time to think about this all now. Instead, she kept the accelerator pressed as she sped the rover towards the garage door that acted as one of the hangar's entrances. The rover smashed through it easily, breaking through the flimsy old metal and barely losing its speed. In the street outside several MCA rovers had been parked, mostly vacant since the officers using them had gone into the hangar during the firefight. She found a gap through the blockade, smashing through the ends of two of the rovers and breaking through a flimsy wooden road barrier that had been set up at the end of the street.

She looked at Kynarus again, noticing that he seemed rather peaceful. He was still breathing, thankfully, but his head was lulled to one side while a thin trail of saliva tailed from the corner of his mouth. It made him look like he had had a drunken night out or something although nothing could be farther from the truth. Katherine put a hand to one of the turian's thighs as she sped on through an industrial section of the colony, passing factories and mining posts. High above was a ceiling of rock, occasionally interspersed with dirtied windows and bright white lights. It wasn't the type of place one would come for a holiday but in a place like the Lowell City colony it enabled someone to keep a low-profile, the population so full of criminal scum that the authorities did little about it.

Katherine had read a fair bit about the colony here and the way it was more or less ignored by the rest of the Alliance, allowing the MCA to run the place as they pleased. It would make the perfect place to lay low for a while, a thought that relieved Katherine in a large way. After all, she and Kynarus could do with a bit of a rest somewhere for a while before they got started on tracking down Dieter. Besides, she had never been on Mars before so this would be a new experience for her. The same went with Kynarus as well. Perhaps this whole Zahni Corporation and Cerberus business had some advantages over all, letting her and Kynarus visit places they had never been to before. It was like a holiday, only more dangerous.


	29. Colony

**Location: **The Last Resort Hotel, Venusville district, Lowell City Colony, Mars

The Venusville district of the Lowell City colony was one of the seedier parts of the colony, home to all manner of clubs and bars. Criminals found it easy to move around here since the MCA paid little attention to the district, turning a blind eye to the activities that went on there. It made a sensible place for Katherine to go, taking Kynarus along with her and finding a half-decent hotel at which to stay at.

The Last Resort, as it was called by the owners, was a fairly large hotel located amongst a bunch of clubs and bars. The nightlife here was far more frenetic than what happened in the daytime, the nearby clubs providing special "shows" as the sun went down over this part of the red planet. The reason Katherine had chosen this district was because of the ease it allowed criminals, such as her and Kynarus, to move around unnoticed although seeing as they were both wanted by the MCA it made sense to think the organization would start taking notice. That's why she didn't take Kynarus to a clinic or a hospital, especially after she located a news vid-screen and saw their faces displayed on the screen, including a number to call for people to provide information to the MCA. Thankfully no one down here in the Venusville area cared much for putting wanted criminals to justice and pretended to ignore her and the turian as she entered the ground floor of the Last Resort.

She had rented a room using what little amounts of money she had left, this particular room located on the third floor. The bar on the ground floor was rather flash and well-maintained, something which couldn't be said of the hotel rooms which were drab and near-dilapidated, the wallpaper peeling off in places and water stains in the ceiling caused by broken pipes. She helped Kynarus into the room and set him down on the bed before setting out to purchase medical supplies, quite confident that she could help him herself rather than risk taking him to a clinic.

There were plenty of illegal vendors around, often in the back-alleys that winded their way around the many buildings in the subterranean colony. She made sure her pistol was holstered and in plain sight, helping to ward off would-be muggers and probably rapists as well. Just behind the Last Resort she found some sort of market in a courtyard in the back alleys, finding that most of the vendors here were dealing in some sort of illegal goods. Drugs and guns were the majority of what was being sold here but she did locate a vendor off in the corner specialising in illegal medical supplies. The vendor himself was a short, fidgety looking old guy who eyed her carefully as she approached. A gun was lying on the stall, probably for the old man's self-defence in case someone tried to rob him. On the stall and underneath it were boxes of labelled goods, ranging from medigel to surgical implements. Katherine realized she had no idea what she would need aside from medigel and even she knew that wouldn't be enough. She would have to ask the old man, he would probably know since he was selling the stuff after all.

"Can't say I've seen you around here before," the old man said, easing a little when he saw she wasn't here to rob him, "are you new here? Not another smuggler are you?"  
Katherine shook her head, looking at the many surgical and medical supplies on the stall in front of her. She checked the credit pads she was carrying, trying to work out if she had enough. She would have to be fairly quick about buying; leaving Kynarus alone in a hotel room so he could bleed to death wasn't something she wanted to happen.

"I need medigel," Katherine said, getting straight to the point, "and something else…I'm just not sure what…"  
The old man raised an eyebrow, eyeing her curiously. One hand went to one of the boxes on the stalls and he opened it, revealing two dozen small tubs of medigel. It looked like it had come straight from an Alliance surplus supply base and Katherine realized he probably had suppliers with the Alliance itself. Where else would he get all of this stuff? Most of it was illegal unless handled by a licensed doctor or nurse.

"I can see you haven't been shot or anything," the old man said, taking out one of the tubs and placing it on the stall, "so I'm assuming you either need this for something you're about to do or someone else you know needs it. Which is it?"

"It's for someone else," Katherine said. It was obvious this old man had been in this profession long enough to easily work out why people needed his products. He was probably trying to work out who she was right now, racking his ageing memory for clues.

"You look like that woman that's been all over the news-vids lately," the old man said, "you are her, aren't you?"

Katherine didn't reply. There was no point; he already seemed to know anyway. It amazed her how fast news got around the colony but she assumed it was just because Lowell City was a small colony in comparison to others. It may have been small but the population didn't seem to care much for local events.

"You're with that turian, aren't you?" The old man asked, "The one responsible for all that chaos over at the prison."  
_I wouldn't say that he was "responsible" for it all._ Katherine frowned briefly, trying to work out what the old man was trying to get at. She still didn't know the full story about what happened over at the prison; Kynarus hadn't been able to tell her for obvious reasons. After all, he was lying on the bed in the hotel room bleeding from a hole in his stomach.

"Don't worry; I'm not here to judge," the old man said reassuringly, "I'm just here to help. That's why I sell this stuff; you'd be amazed how many people come to me for help. I was once a doctor, you know…" He trailed off, seeming to realize he was getting off track. He looked towards Katherine and thought for a moment, taking another tub of medigel out of the box.

"How much do you need?"

"That'll do," Katherine replied, nodding towards the two set out on the table for her. The old man nodded in acknowledgment, looking at her thoughtfully for a moment.

"You said you needed something else," the old man said, "but you don't know what. Maybe I can help…Just describe your friend's wounds to me and I'll see what I can come up with…"

Katherine could see that the old man genuinely wanted to help, regardless of the fact that he was helping two wanted criminals. She decided she wouldn't turn down this offer of genuine help and started thinking about the extent of Kynarus' injuries, trying to remember just what it was that was happening to him.

"Well, he's had a finger blown off and his right shoulder's been grazed by a stray round," Katherine said, "but the main wound he has is in the stomach. It doesn't look too serious but it is bleeding and he does seem to be having trouble breathing. What do you suggest I do?"  
The old man put a hand to his chin, thinking his answer through. It took him a few moments to answer and he seemed confident enough in his explanation on what to do, pulling open another of the boxes on his stall and taking out a small glass valve. It was pointed at one end and Katherine assumed that was the end that went through the skin.

"Well, the finger and the shoulder can be fixed with some medigel. The stomach though, well for starters just make sure you're putting medigel into the wound every few hours and make sure the bleeding stops. The breathing trouble he's having probably has something to do with the internal damage caused by the bullet, probably either blood or bile. Chances are he'll survive, you just have to give his body time to fix itself up. I'm no expert on turian anatomy but if it's what I think it is then make sure to stick this valve into his chest, right in the centre." The old man picked up the small glass valve and pointed at the centre of his chest with it, making it easier to work out where she had to put it.

"If he's begins to suffocate he should release the valve while it's stuck in his chest," the old man said, "that'll relieve the pressure but it'll build up again after about ten or fifteen minutes. Other than that you can't do much else for him, unless you get him to a clinic…"

"That's not an option," Katherine said bluntly. She didn't like the idea of sticking a glass valve into Kynarus' chest but if she had to do it she would. The old man seemed to be done with his explanation, looking at the three items and calculating the price in his head.

"How much is this going to cost?" Katherine asked. She was prepared to pay the full price as long as it ensured Kynarus' survival. Trusting back alley dealers wasn't something she would normally do but going to a clinic or a hospital wasn't a safe option.

The old man paused briefly, taking a moment to think about this.

"For you I'll give you a discount," the old man said, "it's not every day a pretty young lady like you comes by here."

"How much?" Katherine frowned, growing impatient. The old man smiled at her, bearing some rather dirty teeth.

"Six hundred credits," the old man said.

Katherine gave up the money and collected the goods, turning around and leaving the old man to count his newly acquired money. She hurried back to the hotel, brushing past pedestrians of all shapes and sizes and ignoring the insults that were occasionally thrown her way after brushing against someone. She made her way with the medical goods back into the hotel, finding her way back to the hotel room and seeing that Kynarus was still lying unconscious where she had left him.

As she neared him she could hear him wheezing for breath, each one harder than the last. It pained her to hear it and she set herself down on the side of the bed, putting a hand to his hard exo-skeletal face and briefly admiring his features. It seemed like a long time since she had last come this close to him but in reality it was only a few days. She realized she was meant to be patching him up, breaking out of her thoughts and carefully removing the torso section of his armour. Kynarus shifted where he lay before resting again, remaining in his slumber.

The hotel room was fairly basic consisting of three rooms. There was the bedroom, populated with an empty wardrobe and a double bed. The bathroom was joined to the bedroom, separated from it by a sliding door that had fallen off of its hinges. A window was in the bedroom, the shutters drawn but if they had been open the view would have been of the street and the pedestrians below. The outside was lit by streetlights but otherwise it was still night, the thick dirtied windows in the ceiling of the underground city revealing this as a fact.  
The lounge was just next to the bedroom, containing a pair of dirtied patchy couches and a vid-screen set into the wall. The kitchen formed part of the lounge, consisting of a small bench, a fridge and a microwave. The whole hotel room was fairly sub-standard but it would do; besides neither Katherine nor Kynarus had enough money to stay in a far more luxurious hotel.

Katherine had removed the armour plating from Kynarus' torso, revealing that he was wearing some sort of flexible under-suit underneath. His wheezing was getting shallower now and he seemed to choke on each breath, as if something was restricting the movement of his lungs. Katherine could only hope what she was going to do would work. She wouldn't be able to bear it if Kynarus died but she wouldn't know what to do if that did happen. She preferred to not think about it, instead concentrating on patching the turian up.

Katherine pulled away the under-suit, revealing the turian's light blue smooth and scaly skin underneath. She found a spot in the centre of his chest and took hold of the small glass valve in her hand, pressing its sharpened end against the skin and trying to work it in. The tough scaly hide made this difficult but after some fiddling she finally broke through the skin, pressing the thin glass pipe deep into Kynarus' chest. He didn't wake up; he was too tired for that.

Katherine released the white valve on the small glass pipe, hearing the sound of air being released. Immediately the turian's breathing eased back to its normal pace and he seemed to relax in his unconsciousness. Katherine knew she would have to release the valve after every fifteen minutes until Kynarus' body fixed itself up. She had no idea how long that would be but she was willing to wait as long as she had to. His state couldn't last forever, could it?

While Kynarus was breathing a bit easier she opened one of the tubs of medi-gel and put some on the two main fingers of her right hand, rubbing it into the wound in the turian's stomach. It had stopped bleeding, the blood there appearing to have clotted to a reasonable extent. She rubbed the medigel over the wound, noticing that the earlier application from when they had been on board Dieter's frigate had helped to some extent.

When she was done with his stomach wound she turned her attention to the bleeding shoulder injury, able to see that the bullet had passed right through the top of his shoulder. It was still seeping some blood but even so it didn't look too serious, probably causing more pain than harm. She spend a minute or two rubbing medigel into this wound, watching as the gel helped to seal up the wound and ease the bleeding.

She took a look at Kynarus' right hand and at the ragged stump that had once been the middle finger there. It was healed up and she figured it wasn't serious enough to need much attention, the finger having been blown clean off. Whoever had done it had been an expert shot, unless they had been aiming for something else but missed. Something told her the latter wasn't the case though.

It had taken a while for her to realize the truth of what she felt about Kynarus but during her time as a captive on board Dieter's frigate she had gotten plenty of time to think about it. It had been several months since her last relationship and that hadn't ended too well, as had the ones previous to that. She had never genuinely loved any of the men she had become involved with, this being a fact that she had realized during her captivity.

It had taken a fair bit of thought but she had come to the conclusion that she genuinely loved Kynarus. It was a surprise since she could never have seen her falling in love with a turian until now. Now it seemed second-nature, especially after the night they had spent together back on the Citadel.

Katherine sat watching Kynarus, adjusting the valve on the thin glass pipe that was stuck in his chest. It only jutted out a few inches so it wasn't too much of a hindrance but she would need to keep him supervised until he woke up and he was able to do it himself. Even now she could see a change in the amount of time it took for him to start fighting for breath again, as if whatever pressure was being put on his lungs was gradually getting relieved. Perhaps the medigel had something to do with it or perhaps it was just that turians were much hardier than humans, a thought that definitely made sense to Katherine. Regardless she made sure to remain by the turian's side, making sure he was alright. After about an hour of watching him and adjusting the valve she got up, heading out to the kitchen and checking the fridge.

She was feeling a bit peckish now, realizing it had been a few hours since she had last eaten. Finding a jug of water, a carton of eggs and a carton of milk in the fridge she summed up her options and took the carton of milk, checking the use-by date. Satisfied she poured herself a glass, heading back into the bedroom with the glass of milk in one hand while she occasionally sipped from it.

Her mind ran through what had happened back at the hangar and what had transpired for them to end up here. From Talerian to the Citadel they had pursued Dieter and his goons, hoping to at least be of some hindrance to the lunatic's scheme. It occurred to her she wasn't too sure what the scheme was but she assumed it had something to do with the mysterious package that they were after. It was only inconvenient how Cerberus had become involved and they had already proven to be a bit more determined in hunting her and Kynarus down. Hell, they had confronted her back in the hotel on the Citadel in the hopes of getting rid of her.

It made sense that Dieter and Cerberus had something against each other. After all, they were both after the package and so would very likely have some sort of rivalry between them.

It was all because of her stance in all of this that she had ended up meeting Kynarus. She would never have met him otherwise and he was but one bonus in the whole of this mess. If she was going to go up against two of the most powerful human-run organizations in the galaxy then she would want no one other than Kynarus at her side.

Katherine sat in silence, watching as the turian's chest heaved with each breath he took. She had nothing else to do and it was her responsibility to make sure Kynarus actually survived his injuries. He had helped her by taking her to the clinic on Talerian after she had been wounded by Dieter; the least she could do was return the favour. She cared too much for him to simply let him die, not after all they had done together.

She started thinking about what would happen when this was all over and if the two of them survived. She knew as well as Kynarus that the odds were against them, chances were they wouldn't make it through this alive. As much as she hated thinking about it there was a high chance that one of them would die and the other would live. However, she knew that the two of them were the only ones who knew what Dieter and Cerberus were trying to do. They wanted the mysterious package and whatever was inside and they were trying awfully hard to get it. Whatever was in it must have been of some great importance and it was vital that she and Kynarus stopped Dieter from getting hold of it. The same went for Cerberus but she had the feeling that they were in it merely to get rid of the Zahni Corporation.

Katherine had been a mercenary for several years but never had she been up against two powerful organizations like the Corporation and Cerberus. It seemed a tad unreal, as if it shouldn't be happening. Unfortunately for her it was happening and she and Kynarus were stuck in the middle of it all, both with the knowledge that they would be receiving no help. The two of them were wanted criminals as far as she knew since the Mars Colonial Authority had put their faces and descriptions on every vid-screen in the colony. It was only luck that no one cared enough to take action. Sooner or later the MCA would track them down to this hotel but until then she and Kynarus were relatively safe, able to maintain a low profile in the crime-ridden Venusville district. If she and Kynarus were wanted by the MCA, the chances were that the Human Systems Alliance wanted them as well. The MCA was, after all, a mere sub organization of the Alliance created to maintain law and order on Mars. So far the MCA had failed pathetically at that task and were simply exploiting the colony's population in order to benefit themselves. She had read about the terrorist groups that operated within the colony, attempting to overthrow the MCA. It seemed pointless really; all they were doing was pissing off the Alliance as well.

Katherine let these thoughts slide as she got up and stepped over to the window, peering down at the dimly lit street below. Pedestrians of all shapes and sizes milled past, congregating around street-side stalls but otherwise going about their own business. She sort of wished she could do the same, going about her normal life like she used to before being dragged into all of this. One glance at Kynarus made her realize how lucky she was to have met him and this quelled these doubtful thoughts, making her smile wryly. Even though the two of them were so deep into this mess of opposing factions she felt happy, happy for having met Kynarus and happy for the opportunity he presented her. He was a caring man in her life that she genuinely loved and who genuinely loved her. All the two of them had to do now was survive.

* * *

"Shame about your legs," the Colonel commented, reaching into a pocket on the front of his long-coat and removing a cigar, "but I'm sure you'll walk stably again, some day." He placed the end of the cigar in the corner of his mouth and retrieved an old fashioned silver lighter from another pocket in his long-coat, using it to ignite the end of the cigar and send a thin trail of smoke up towards the ceiling. He was seated at a bare metal table, the single set of white LED lights in the ceiling above casting an illuminating glow through the small room.

Hermann Holst managed a weak smile, unable to ignore the throbbing pains in both of his legs. He needed crutches to get around since both of his legs had been all but rendered useless by the amount of bullets that had been pumped into them by an MCA officer during the firefight in the hangar. There were about seven wounds in total, three in the left leg and two in the right. He was lucky to be able to move them at all but medical technology nowadays was quite amazing, capable of all sorts of incredible feats. Hermann had been lucky because he had been treated early and that the MCA officer had had worse aim than he had originally thought, having missed any important arteries or veins that went through the legs.

Hermann had been working with the Colonel ever since his near-death at the Citadel when that turian Kynarus Vakarian had barged in on him, Dieter and Francis along with a bunch of officers. Dieter had been quite certain the turian had been bound up fairly well but he had obviously been wrong, Hermann almost getting killed by the turian until he had managed a biotic throw to give himself a chance to escape. He regretted not having killed the turian then since that turian had gone on to cause much more trouble since. He had become a thorn in the side of both the Corporation and Cerberus although Hermann wasn't too sure who was being interfered with more.

Now Hermann had been left on left stranded on Mars after the shootout in the hangar that had only been a couple of hours ago. Dieter had made good his threat to leave him behind and so Hermann had been left lying in the hangar, barely able to walk as he watched Dieter's frigate take off. He had also watched Kynarus and that Katherine woman escape in a rover, something which had angered him a fair bit.

Hermann had then been arrested by the MCA. At first he thought he was more or less screwed since he was a cop killer, having killed a few of the MCA officers during the shootout. However, he had been surprised when Colonel Sommers had appeared to take him into custody himself. He soon realized that Cerberus had more than just a slight involvement with the MCA. In actual fact Cerberus was truly in control of the MCA and the Administrator, it's just that the MCA officials pretended that this wasn't true.

The Colonel had helped Hermann into a rover and they had driven to the outskirts of the mostly underground colony, arriving at a dilapidated old office complex that dated back from the colony's early years. Apparently it had acted as an office complex for the United States personnel that had first set up the colony as a research outpost back in the early days of the planet's colonial history. The US and the Chinese had been the first ones to set up bases on Mars and most of those original outposts still existed, it was just now they were being used for different purposes.

The main US base had eventually expanded into the Lowell City colony, the only major colony on Mars. No other ones had fully blossomed into subterranean cities as Lowell City had so the Lowell City colony was effectively the only proper colony on Mars. Ageing signs of the US pioneers could still be found on the older buildings, including the insignia of NASA and the United States Martian Research Division. This particular office complex was full of ageing signs that referred to its history, including a tattered old American flag that hung behind the reception desk. It was obvious why Cerberus had chosen such a place as their makeshift base of operations in the colony. For one thing this office complex was out of the way and for another it carried a jingoistic human history, dating back to the days when the United States had been considered the "greatest country on Earth" and that humans had believed themselves to be the only intelligent species in the galaxy and perhaps even the whole known universe.

Cerberus was trying to recreate these good old days of human jingoism by working on making humanity the greatest race in the galaxy. This building was a testament to the history they were trying to recreate and the historical turning point that had occurred back in 2148 when humanity had discovered the Prothean ruins in the southern polar region of Mars. These old buildings had been abandoned soon after, left to rot in the subterranean caverns that had been dug out to originally make room for them.

The Colonel's thick American accent hinted at another reason why he had chosen this particular building. He was probably the patriotic alien-hating type, the perfect type of person to be working for an organization such as Cerberus.

Standing guard outside the building had been two armed Cerberus commandoes, looking rather bored with themselves but otherwise putting up with the job they had been given. Inside had been a few more but the majority of the office complex had been empty, littered with decaying signs of the planet's colonial past. Papers littered the desks as if they had been left in a hurry while some desks had even been flipped over during the intervening years from robbers who had attempted to take advantage of the abandoned building. The dull blue paint on the walls and ceiling had begun to peel, many of the old fashioned light-bulbs in the building having ceased working years before. Being so far away from the rest of the colony the building seemed desolate and forgotten.

The Colonel had escorted Hermann into a small dimly lit officer, switching on the set of newly installed LED lights in the ceiling. Hermann had sat himself down at the metal table in the centre of the office, noticing a thick musty smell hung about in the air. The oldest air in the whole colony was in this area and the ventilation systems that pumped air throughout the colony barely reached here, leaving the air dusty and smelly. The Colonel didn't seem too bothered about this though, simply blowing on his cigar and helping to add to the musty smell of the office building. He looked thoughtfully around the office, nodding towards the tattered old banner that hung at the other end of the room. On it was the insignia of the no longer existent United States Special Research Division, an organization that had changed its name several times in the past and was a sub-group of the Military Industrial Complex. It had acted as the specialist arm of the United States government, taking part in all of the black projects that very rarely saw the light of day. They had been the ones to first perfect the flight-plan to Mars and they had been the ones to first set foot on the red planet, quickly followed by their Chinese rivals.

"I sometimes like to think that Cerberus is much like the Special Research Division," the Colonel said, Hermann managing a glance up at the tattered banner. He wasn't too sure about what the Colonel was trying to get at but decided he would be best off listening to him anyway.

"We're doing the things others think are impossible," the Colonel said, getting Hermann's attention. The Colonel had a thoughtful look on his face, as if he was reminiscing about good times gone by. "No one thought they would beat the Chinese to Mars but they did. They helped develop advances in technology, such as satellites and mobile phones. Cerberus is continuing this legacy by attempting to do much the same."  
He leaned towards Hermann slightly, holding his cigar in between two of the fingers of his right hand.

"The Special Research Division represented the best of humanity during its time. You can imagine what happened when those ruins were found down in the south pole of this planet. You see Hermann; those ruins destroyed the Special Research Division." The Colonel shook his head, as if he found this fact worthy of pity. Hermann sat listening, trying to ignore the dull aches in his legs.

"Those ruins helped put humanity's progress forwards by two hundred years. Unfortunately this meant that we weren't as significant as we would have hoped ourselves to be since we had just found proof of intelligent alien life. This fact was brought into the light even more with the advent of the First Contact War. We were let into the galactic community as a result but we weren't as great as we humans liked to be, you know? As a result we lost nations and instead gave birth to the Alliance. The Alliance is, as anyone with half a brain cell knows, is incompetent when it comes to dealing with alien races.

"That's why Cerberus exists. We're trying to reinstate those old times of humans being the greatest species in existence. We ruled the Earth so why can't we rule the galaxy?" The Colonel chuckled. He sounded satisfied with the speech he had been conducting. Hermann only raised an eyebrow, still unsure of why the Colonel was telling him this.

"What's all this got to do with me?" Hermann couldn't help but keep the uncertainty out of his voice, "are you just trying to sell your organization?"

"I'm reassuring you, Hermann, that by helping us you're helping humanity," the Colonel said, unfazed by Hermann's reaction to the Colonel's well thought-out talk.

Hermann had told the Colonel about Dieter's plans to breakout Schraeder from prison. He had also told him where Dieter's ship had been landed and that was what had lead to the shootout in the hangar. Hermann had been informing on Dieter's actions since he figured it would have done him some good. Instead it seemed to just be drawing him deeper and deeper into Cerberus.

"That's why I brought you here," the Colonel said, puffing on his cigar again, "that's why I stopped the MCA from taking you into their custody. You see, they don't take too kindly to cop killers. Chances are they would have just killed you for the satisfaction."  
The Colonel paused for a moment, taking the cigar out of his mouth and blowing a few smoke rings. Hermann watched carefully, a good idea of what the Colonel was going to make him do next forming in his mind.

"I need you to help Cerberus again," the Colonel said, "you helped us interfere with the plans Dieter had for breaking out that bastard Schraeder. You helped us trace him back to that hangar. Now you're going to help us track him down so we can remove him from our way once and for all."  
Hermann nodded, not because he agreed but because he knew he had to. The Colonel wasn't the type of person someone got away with trifling with so Hermann decided he would go along with whatever the Colonel had planned for him.

"Tell me, did Dieter ever mention anything to you about where he was going?" The Colonel asked, "Anything at all?"

Hermann nodded again. This time he had a proper answer, one he hoped would satisfy the Colonel to a certain extent.

"He told me he was going to Buenos Aires," Hermann replied, "Apparently he had made a breakthrough…"  
The Colonel raised an eyebrow, intrigued when he heard about this new development. He eyed Hermann with some interest, curious to hear what else the informer had to say.

"I think it was because of Schraeder," Hermann said, "Dieter wanted him out of prison because he thought Schraeder knew where the package was. It's obvious he knew something since I was only told of this new plan at the last minute."

"Were you told much else?" The Colonel had a hopeful look in his eyes as if he was hoping that Hermann had more to tell. However, Hermann shook his head in a disappointing fashion.

"That's all I know," Hermann answered, "I was only told about going to Buenos Aires over the radio a few minutes before I was shot in the legs. Then Dieter decided to leave without me, probably taking Schraeder and the extent of his forces with him."

The Colonel nodded understandably. He didn't seem too fussed about the lack of information though. After all, he had a reliable informer sitting across from him in the same room. All he needed was Hermann's information and they would be able to do the rest, possibly leaving Hermann to take a break from it all. He hoped this would be the case but was left disappointed when he heard the Colonel's response.

"Well, it sounds like Cerberus needs your services again for sure," the Colonel said casually, blowing again on his cigar, "and from what it sounds like you're going to need to act like best friends to Dieter like you have been."

Hermann didn't like the way the Colonel was making it sound. If Dieter ever found out about his betrayal then it would be curtains for him.

"We're going to arrange for you to find your way back to Buenos Aires," the Colonel said, "after all, the whole of Argentina is more or less under the control of the corporation. It's the heart of Dieter's empire and thus if Cerberus were to take any sort of action there it would be easily noticed. That's why you're going to find your way back to Dieter and report what he's doing straight back to me."

Hermann nodded because he had no choice. In actual felt he felt like banging his head against the wall for stupidly getting himself in this situation in the first place. He realized he would have been far better off just remaining with Dieter throughout the whole operation rather than betraying his actions to Cerberus. However, now that Hermann was working for the Colonel he knew he couldn't simply quit.

The plan itself sounded simple enough but the Colonel was a man who could make anything sound simple. It was a habit of his and Hermann knew this. He also knew that finding his way back to Dieter would be a little more difficult than what the Colonel made it sound to be. Buenos Aires was at the heart of the Zahni Corporation and so it made sense that Dieter would be well protected while he was there.

"You're going to find your way back to Dieter and you're going to report everything he does," the Colonel said again, "that includes when he eats, sleeps, goes to the toilet and just plain exists. I want your full loyalty this time around Hermann. I don't mind if you follow Dieter's orders, just as long as you don't get caught. Do you understand?"

"Yes…"

The Colonel nodded; satisfied that he had made his point and plan clear to Hermann. The Colonel managed a slight grin, realizing that the Corporation would be out of Cerberus' way in no time.

"I'm glad you could agree Hermann," the Colonel replied. He paused for a moment, thinking of what else he should say. "I'm going to make sure we get all the support we need for this plan so you shouldn't have to worry about whether I have enough men this time. I'm going to convince my boss to direct far more resources our way than he already had been."  
Hermann found himself intrigued at what the Colonel had just said, raising an eyebrow and trying to figure out whether he had just heard the man correctly.

"You have a boss?"

The Colonel nodded, chuckling as he did so.

"Of course I do," the Colonel replied, "we all have bosses, don't we?"

Hermann couldn't do much else than to agree, still intrigued at the thought that the Colonel was not the leader of Cerberus. He certainly made himself out to be in charge but Hermann realized that was just part of what made him so good at what he did, emitting an air of confidence and good leadership wherever he went. No wonder he had been put in charge of the scheme to find the package and remove the Zahni Corporation from Cerberus' way. The Colonel was a charismatic man and very few people could say no to him.

"Who is your boss?" Hermann asked. He knew he wouldn't get much of an answer but he tried for one anyway.

The Colonel took a moment to answer, puffing once more on his cigar and inhaling the thick smoke.

"I'm not even sure of that myself," he replied. It was a moment before he was laughing again although Hermann failed to see what was so amusing. Hermann had no reason to laugh seeing as he had just been forced into a potentially suicidal plan to help Cerberus. All Hermann could hope for was for things to go Cerberus' way and not Dieter's.


	30. Bradley

**Location: **The Last Resort Hotel, Venusville district, Lowell City colony, Mars

Kynarus Vakarian sat up suddenly, looking around frantically at his surroundings and trying to figure out where he was. He felt a spot of pain in his stomach and looked down, finding himself without any clothing on his torso and with what looked to be a clotted gunshot wound in the stomach. He took a deep breath, calming down considerably. He had had the feeling he had been captured again, something which he was beginning to tire of. He realized that was a stupid idea since it was obvious Dieter and Cerberus wanted him dead and not alive. He wasn't sure whether that was a good or a bad thing though.

Kynarus found himself to be sitting up in some sort of bed which was in a fairly normal-sized bedroom, the old wooden wardrobe in the corner wide open and revealing itself to be empty. A window was just to the left of the bed, the blinds drawn to keep out prying eyes. He leaned towards it, peering through a gap in the blinds and finding that he was a few stories up in some sort of building. He assumed it was a hotel and that they were in the Martian colony, able to see the high rock ceiling outside while below pedestrians milled about on their own business, a few rovers driving past every now and then. He recognized the one that Katherine had stolen from the hangar, sitting on the curb down below.

Kynarus became aware of a strange feeling in his chest, a small point of pain as if some sort of foreign object had found its way into him. He looked down and found some sort of thin glass pipe jutting out of his chest by a few inches, topped off with some sort of plastic valve. Without thinking much about it he reached down with one hand and pulled it out, throwing it to the floor and wiping away the spot of blood it brought up. Whatever it was he had the feeling it had been there to help him, he just felt that he didn't need the help.

He could remember what had happened at the hangar all too well, having been shot in the stomach and left gasping for breath by the internal damage the bullet had caused. While he had been left sitting behind a stack of crates in the hangar during the battle, Katherine had gone on to find a means of transport and had returned several minutes later with a rover. He could remember climbing into the rover but not anymore past that, figuring that he must have passed out when sitting inside the rover. He had no idea how much time had passed since then seeing as he had had no idea about what time it had been back then and thus couldn't compare it with now. He looked up at the thick dirtied windows in the ceiling of the colony and saw that it was night, realizing that it had been night back at the hangar. Chances are it was the same night or the next one, it was impossible to tell.

Kynarus sat back down in the bed, taking a deep breath and finding that the troubles he had had with breathing before had more or less disappeared. Maybe Katherine was around here somewhere, she would have to be. He sat quietly, preferring not to make a racket just to get her attention and see if she came in.

He thought about recent events here on Mars, unable to quite believe he had survived. He had been made to fight against opponents that had outnumbered and outgunned him and he had managed to make it through to the end alive, until he had ended up with a finger blown off thanks to Colonel Sommers. He came to the conclusion that Dieter and Schraeder had ended up escaping during the firefight in the hangar, a thought that annoyed him a little but not as much as he had been thinking it would. He was just grateful to be alive and was hoping that Katherine still was as well. Who else would have taken the time to help him recover from his wounds?

Kynarus looked towards the bedroom's door, seeing that it had been closed. Whoever had brought him here had taken the care to leave him alone for now, perhaps having gone to get something to eat. He had no idea; he just thought it better if he simply stayed in bed. If it was someone else and not Katherine the first thing he would do was make sure he found out where she was and what happened to her.

Kynarus found the suit of Zahni Corporation armour he had been given before heading to the Mars Prison laying on the floor. With it was the pistol he had been stuck with using for all of this time, a Corporation model that had proven to be quite effective. He picked it up, preferring to keep it under his pillow in case someone walked in that he didn't particularly like. He lay back in the bed, putting his head against the pillow but unable to drift off back to sleep, already feeling revitalized after his long time unconscious. The tiredness he had felt during the shootout at the hangar was long gone, replaced with that usual feeling he had that was trying to compel him to get up and do something.

He found that he didn't have the urge for any illicit substances, a feeling that greatly satisfied him. He figured he had beaten this potential addiction although it was never safe to be completely sure, he could easily get back on whatever drug he wanted if he felt like it. Perhaps all this time unconscious had effectively purged his system and left him feeling refreshed and anew. Or maybe it was just a temporary feeling, he couldn't tell.

It seemed like such a long time since what had happened on Talerian although in fact it might have been a few weeks. Back then he had been thinking the job of acquiring the package would have been easily done and he would have received his pay-check in no time at all. He had no idea then that instead he would be dragged so deeply into the rivalry between the Zahni Corporation and Cerberus that he would end up on Mars, of all places. The hotel he was in was certainly sub-standard, the wallpaper in the bedroom having started to peel in several places while the carpet had been dirtied and stained by all sorts of things. He didn't like to think what some of those stains were and instead remained lying in bed, trying to think of whoever had helped him. It was most likely Katherine but he couldn't be sure.

The handle on the door rattled and Kynarus sat up immediately, going for the gun under his pillow and holding it aimed at the door with his left hand. He could never safely assume who it was until he saw them and so kept his aim towards the door, watching as it opened and a familiar figure stepped inside. She saw the gun pointed at her and raised an eyebrow, unfazed by the potential threat.

"Forgotten who I am?" She asked. Kynarus, feeling a little embarrassed, put the gun back under his pillow. He felt relieved to see Katherine walk into the room, holding a metal tray with a pair of plates set on it. Kynarus had the feeling whatever was on those plates was for him, being reminded of his hunger when his stomach rumbled in complaint. It occurred to him that it had been a long time since he had last eaten.

"Sorry Kath," Kynarus said as Katherine stood by the bed, looking down at him. "You can never be too sure," he added apologetically.

Katherine shrugged, setting the tray down in the turian's lap. On it was what appeared to be some sort of turian cuisine; he wasn't sure what it was exactly. It certainly looked appetizing and more than enough to sustain his hunger.

"I found a vendor that specializes in alien food," Katherine said, "it seems there's a growing market for that sort of thing here in the colony. I'm not sure what that is on your plate but I'm pretty sure you'll like it."

"Thanks," Kynarus said, picking up the fork and knife that were on the tray and more or less tucking in. It was definitely some sort of meat; it had just been a long time since he had had proper restaurant-style food. He was a mercenary after all and he was the type who was always on the move, unable to stay in one place for too long.

Katherine sat down on the end of the bed, taking care to not watch him too closely as he ate. After all, watching him eat wasn't exactly the most exciting thing and Katherine didn't want to appear rude.

"It's good to see you're awake," she said, glancing at him. She paused for a moment, Kynarus realizing she was expecting some sort of response from him. He didn't give her one in time before she spoke again.

"I was worried about you," she said, "I thought I'd lose you…"  
Kynarus sensed the genuine concern in her voice, finding himself at a loss for words for a moment. He could see she cared for him and he knew he felt the same; especially after all they had been through together.

"No need to talk like that," Kynarus said, trying to make a smile but finding he couldn't. He kept eating, watching Katherine as she lay back on the bed, leaning on her elbows and tilting her head towards him. She brushed against his legs, not an unfamiliar feeling coming from her.

"I'm just glad you were there," Kynarus said, gulping down a chunk of the meat, "I would have done the same for you, you know…Making sure to keep you alive and all…"

Katherine simply nodded. She understood, he had already saved her life once. What she had done for him had been more than returning the favour. They had reached a point where they would do that sort of thing for each other naturally rather than having to think carefully about it.

"So…What's the colony here like?" Kynarus asked. He thought he would change the subject seeing as Katherine was looking a little solemn, as if she was still worried about him. She shouldn't be so a change of subject seemed to be the best course of action right now.

Katherine sat up again, taking a moment to think. She was as new to this colony as he was although Kynarus doubted the colony received many visits from turians. Even glancing down at the street he could see this was a mostly human colony which made sense since there was very little in the way of public interest on the colony. Apparently the southern pole was where the main extent of the Prothean ruins were located, the very ruins which had enabled the human race to gain access to the mass relays and advance their technology accordingly. The planet was only next from the sun which the human home-world orbited so understandably there were very few non-humans in the system.

"The colony here's a shithole," Katherine said rather bluntly, although she did crack a smile, "the whole place is full of criminals and other dangerous sorts of people. The MCA doesn't care much about what happens in the poorer parts of the colony, making this district we're in a good place to lay low for a while. After all, I think they know who we are after what we've done to some of their officers."  
Kynarus nodded. He could only agree with the last point about the officers seeing as cop killers were generally hunted down. He couldn't help but feel a little insecure seeing as the MCA were the ones that ran the colony. It only made sense to think that they would be able to find him and Katherine within the very colony they ruled.

"No one's sold us out yet," Katherine said, pausing for a moment before adding, "at least, I don't think so. Unless there are some officers waiting outside ready to barge in and arrest us…"  
To make sure this assumption wasn't correct Kynarus leaned over to the windows and peered through one of the small gaps in the blinds, eyeing the street below carefully. No one there seemed to be with the MCA, a fact which allowed the turian a sigh of relief. He was already getting fed up with all the killing and shooting he was being forced to do and was also getting tired of getting shot at himself. It was these thoughts which made him realize that he would definitely be giving up his job as a mercenary once this was all over.

"Most of the people down here are wanted criminals anyway, just like us," Katherine said, Kynarus turning around to face her. He took a sip off the glass of drink that was on the tray on his lap, finding it to be rather dirty and odd tasting water. It was still refreshing to an extent, a welcome reliever for the dryness that he had been able to feel in his throat.

"What I think we should do is we just hang around a little while until you're fit enough to get up and about again," Katherine said, "then we can figure out a way to get off of this rock."  
Kynarus nodded, finishing off the glass of dirty water and then the meat that was left on the plate. He realized he was missing one important fact, the very one that may either add or remove some of the mess they had gotten themselves into.

"What happened to Dieter?" Kynarus asked, having missed out on the end of the hangar shootout. He had passed out in the passenger seat next to Katherine after he had managed to gather the strength to climb into the rover. Before then Dieter's frigate had still been parked in the hangar although even then he could notice the way the Zahni Corporation soldiers had been pulling back and starting to board the frigate.

"He got away," Katherine said, remembering the frigate taking off and out of the hangar, "but I do know where he intended on going."

Kynarus would have raised an eyebrow if he had had any but the curious look he gave her made it clear what he was thinking. How could she possibly know where Dieter was going? They had gotten off of the ship so how could she have found out such a fact?

"I overheard a radio transmission Dieter made minutes before he escaped," Katherine said, telling a sort of half-truth. There was obviously more to what she was saying but Kynarus didn't bother asking, not really interested in what else had happened to enable her to hear this transmission.

"It was directed at that Hermann guy," Katherine continued, "I was nearby and heard the whole thing. You do know who Hermann is, don't you?" She frowned briefly, making sure that Kynarus knew who she was talking about.

The name was vaguely familiar, Kynarus taking a moment to realize who she was referring to. It would have to be the guy that seemed to make a habit of using his biotic powers to throw Kynarus, something of which had happened to him twice since he first arrived on Talerian.

"Turns out Dieter's made some sort of 'breakthrough'," Katherine said, "he didn't say what kind of breakthrough but I'm assuming it had something to do with the package."

Kynarus wasn't too sure whether he wanted to hear about where Dieter and Schraeder had gone. He was beginning to doubt the whole reason he should remain involved in thwarting Dieter's schemes seeing how much bad luck had befallen him since. Dieter always escaped, every time he got close to the guy he always managed to get away. Perhaps the package just wasn't worth the time he had spent trying to find it and stop the Corporation and Cerberus from getting it. If he knew where Dieter had gone he might feel inclined to head over there and stop him, further putting himself and Katherine at risk.

Before Katherine could speak again he shook his head. She fell silent, looking at him with a surprised expression.

"What's wrong?" She asked, "We've got a lead on Dieter's whereabouts and you don't want to hear it?"  
Kynarus looked down at his lap, picking up the fork from the tray and twirling it through his fingers. He felt that it was his duty to see this whole thing through to the end, probably getting rid of Dieter in the process. Perhaps everyone would be better off that way, with Dieter gone and Cerberus effectively stalled. It just seemed odd that he had bothered so far until he remembered that Dieter had been using Katherine against him, threatening her in order to make him play along with his plans.

"Did it ever occur to you just how pointless this whole thing is?" Kynarus asked, looking her in the eyes. He put down the fork and lifted the tray, placing it on the bedside table so that it wasn't restricting his movements. He moved closer to Katherine, seeing the doubt on her face.

"What? You don't think what we're doing is worthwhile?" Katherine asked, watching as Kynarus sat himself beside her. He put an arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him. Her face brushed against his scaly skin and she blushed briefly, feeling the coolness of his skin compared to hers.

"We've come this far, Kye," she said, looking into his eyes. It struck her then just how beautiful those bird-like reptilian eyes of his were, the two of them a crystal blue colour which reminded her of the oceans back on Earth. His arm was still around her while his other hand had gone for her face, gently caressing one cheek with the smooth sides of his talons.

"I'm not saying I don't think it's worthwhile," Kynarus said, taking his hand from her face and leaning in closer to her, "it's just that we've been through enough already. I don't want to end up losing you…"

"I don't want to lose you either," she said. Kynarus seemed to relax a little, keeping her held close to him as they sat together on the side of the bed. "I just think we should see this through, right until the end. Whatever's in that package Dieter wants really badly and so does Cerberus…"

"How about, just for now, we forget about all of this Cerberus and Dieter stuff?" Kynarus asked, looking into her light brown eyes and putting his free hand to her side. She didn't seem to mind seeing as this wasn't the first time they had been in a position like this. Instead, she only looked at him and smile.

"You know, the fate of the entire galaxy could be in our hands," Katherine said, "what if there's some sort of super weapon in that package? We spend too much time dawdling here on Mars and Dieter's going to get hold of it…"

Kynarus put a finger to her lips and she fell silent. He didn't care much about all of this package business right now, he was more intent on her and what the two of them could do. Already he could feel his heart thumping in his chest, not an unfamiliar feeling for him.

"What about planning our escape from Mars?" She asked, acting completely oblivious to the advances Kynarus had been making, "we have to figure that out…Otherwise Dieter will get to Buenos Aires and find whatever he's looking for…"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Kynarus said, grinning, "You're so worked up about all of this stuff that you don't seem to have time for me. After all, I was being forced to shoot my way through a prison while you were locked up on board Dieter's frigate. I think now's the best time to catch up and forget about all of this Dieter business. What do you say?"

Katherine just shrugged, putting an arm around the turian and leaning closer so there faces were almost touching. She gently pecked him on the mouth, her eyes seeming to brighten.

"What sort of catching up do you have in mind?" She asked with a grin, "Because I don't want to spend too long on Mars. Like I said, Dieter…"

"Forget him," Kynarus interjected bluntly. Why was she so worried about Dieter and whatever he had planned? Kynarus couldn't help but feel some concern about whatever the crazy human had planned but right now he didn't care. He could enslave the whole galaxy and it wouldn't really bother him. Right now there were things he was more interested in, such as the beautiful human woman sitting right in front of him.

He put a hand to her jacket and slowly removed it, throwing it to the floor without much care about where it went. Katherine leaned back and lay on the bed, Kynarus following her down while keeping one arm wrapped around her. He used his free hand to pull off her shirt while she reached down to the waist of the under-suit he was wearing over his lower half, pulling it away with ease and throwing it off of the bed.

Kynarus spent the next minute fiddling with the buckle on Katherine's pants, finally getting it undone and pulling away the dark grey trousers. She giggled quietly, watching the turian above her as he set to work on what little else she wore. Rather than let him take control of the situation she made sure to set the pace the way she liked it, fast but not too fast. Kynarus grinded his hips into hers and she moaned at the new sensation, fighting him for control. She won and within ten minutes the pair lay naked and intertwined in the bed's sheets, sweat glistening off of their skin while Kynarus lay with an arm wrapped around her.

She set her head on his chest, taking the chance to rest there. Neither one of them spoke for about a minute, lying in silence. Kynarus finally spoke, inclining Katherine to tilt her head and look up at him.

"About what you were saying before," he said, putting a hand to her back and gently massaging his talons across the skin there, "about coming this far and seeing this through."

"Yes?"

Kynarus paused to think about this for a moment, realizing he wasn't quite sure what he should say. It was a hard decision but one that had its positives and negatives either way. He didn't want to put himself or Katherine into anymore danger than necessary but somehow he knew it would have to happen if they were to stop Dieter and whatever he had planned.

"I think it'll be best if we stopped Dieter," Kynarus said. Katherine rolled off of him and lay on her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows and watching him with some interest.

"I thought you'd agree with me," She said, smiling, "It's for the best, anyway. We stop Dieter and we'll be doing the galaxy a favour."

Kynarus didn't say anything. Instead he remained lying where he was, feeling her gentle touch go up his arm and to his collarbone. She brought his lips to the side of his neck and kissed gently. Kynarus didn't complain and wrapped his arms around her, rolling with her so that he was above her.

Perhaps stopping Dieter was more important than anything else. There were plenty of madmen in the galaxy, it's just that when a madman has power, loyal followers and a complicated scheme then it was a good idea to get rid of them. Especially when that scheme was close to succeeding.

This time around Katherine didn't want to be underneath him and instead pushed him off of her. Kynarus managed a grunt of surprise, taken off guard by this "retaliation" but quickly falling silent as she moved herself atop of him, sitting on his thighs and rubbing her hands against his sides. Kynarus simply laid back and enjoyed it the whole way through, satisfied that for once he wasn't the one needing to expend most of the effort.

* * *

Sunlight filtered in through the windows in the ceiling of the underground colony, the lights dimming according to the amount of light that streamed inside. Morning was arriving to this part of Mars and the amount of traffic increased considerably as people began to go about their daily business. It was safe to assume that life went on as normal in the colony, regardless of recent events.

Outside of the Last Resort hotel a pair of transport rovers pulled up. They beared the insignia of the MCA and even displayed the words 'MARS COLONIAL AUTHORITY'. A small crowd of onlookers began to form but they were easily dispersed by the lead officer. From out of the rovers came several officers, armed with assault rifles and shotguns and wearing body armour. They scattered around the front of the hotel, a few making their way around into the back alleys behind the building. In the back alleys the few here began to make their way up the rusty old fire escape, climbing up stairs and ladders as they slowly and quietly worked their way up to the third floor.

The lead officer who stood out on the street made sure that the two rovers were moved and that the pedestrians nearby continued on with their business as usual. The last thing they needed was to provide hints as to what was going to happen to the two targets inside. It was imperative they keep the element of surprise since these two were armed and dangerous.

The MCA had wanted to make a move earlier but it seemed that the Administrator had more or less had his hands tied behind his back by someone else. This someone else had been pulling the strings from behind the scenes ever since their arrival and had somewhat ignored the two wanted criminals hiding out in the Venusville district. Finally though the officer's men had been given permission to make a move, planning their approach into the hotel carefully. The last thing they needed was a full blown shootout, especially in the middle of one of the most crime-ridden districts in the colony.

The lead officer made sure that all the officers in the squad were in position before giving the order to go, patiently waiting across the street as his eyes darted up to the third and fourth story windows of the hotel. The turian and that human woman were in there somewhere, they just weren't quite sure which room exactly. It shouldn't be too hard to find out, though.

* * *

Kynarus was the first to wake up, opening his eyes as the sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the blinds. One of these beams had landed right in his face, making him squint in the light as his eyes attempted to adjust. He moved his head away from the beam and his face ended up close to Katherine's hair, the turian able to smell that sweet perfume-like smell that he always caught around her. He put a hand towards her light brown hair which hung loosely around the back of her neck and down to her shoulders, feeling a few strands between his fingers. The movement made her shuffle slightly where she lay but her eyes remained closed and her breathing deep and easy.

Kynarus lay back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment or two, counting the many patches where the paint had begun to peel. There was a total of twenty-seven, not including the ones on the walls but this was beside the point. He was just feeling good this morning for more reasons than one, managing a slight smile when he remembered where he was and what had happened before he had fallen asleep.

He then remembered the discussion he had had with Katherine the night before, about seeing this whole mysterious package business through to the end. He had his doubts about whether it was worth it or not but deep down he knew they had no choice. If they didn't stop Dieter now then he would end up coming after them. The more likely scenario is that Cerberus would continue trying to track him and Katherine down in order to "remove" them from their path. An organization like Cerberus didn't give up easily, especially when they had contacts and agents on almost every inhabited planet in the known galaxy.

Where would the rest of this journey take the two of them anyway? So far they had been to Talerian, a backwater world with a single human settlement and a number of mining outposts but not much else. What had happened there had only acted as a sort of prelude to what had happened on the Citadel. On the Citadel he had managed to get himself captured on two occasions, first time being able to escape but the second time he had been taken to Mars and forced to become a pawn in Dieter's scheme to break Schraeder out of prison. It all seemed like so much had happened and it had only occurred over the space of a few days, discounting the fact it took a few days to travel through space from place to place.

Kynarus felt a surge of doubt about his security and reached a hand under his pillow, feeling the cold but reassuring metal of the pistol he had put there. Over his years as a mercenary he had learned that carrying a gun was the best form of security someone could have. It was just that sometimes you would have to put the gun away to make space for other, equally as important things. Like what he was doing now, lying in bed with a young human woman he had first met because of all of this mysterious package business. That was one bonus that had come out of all of this and one he was grateful for.

Kynarus took his hand away from the pistol and shifted his gaze towards Katherine. She was still fast asleep, barely disturbed by the turian's movements. She did seem to be a bit of a heavy sleeper, probably able to sleep through a storm or a bomb attack.

Kynarus remained lying in bed for a while, taking a close look at his right hand His middle finger hadn't magically grown back as he had been vainly hoping, instead the ragged stump of flesh was still there and it was still throbbing dully. He rubbed at it but stopped when a shot of pain ran up his arm from the ragged stump of flesh.

Colonel Sommers had been smart enough to make his first shot count, having effectively reduced Kynarus' best hand to a mere shadow of its former glory. There had been days when the turian could put a pistol in his right hand and twirl it around and shoot the petals off of a flower from forty feet away without damaging the central bud. Now he could barely hold a weapon in his right hand, let alone fire one. He looked at Katherine's hands and counted the fingers, realizing that humans had a distinct advantage over turians when it came to the amount of fingers.

It had probably been Colonel Sommers' intention to ensure that Kynarus never effectively raised a weapon against him again. Too bad Kynarus was just as good with his left as he had been with his right. He hadn't really practiced with his left for some time but so far it had served him well. He could still handle two handed weapons; he only needed a thumb and finger to support the weapon while his left pulled the trigger.

Kynarus put his right hand down, losing interest in the disadvantage he now had with it. Instead he reached over and began to rub the smooth sides of the talons of his right hand onto Katherine's stomach, a sensation that made Katherine stir where she lay. She opened both eyes and turned to the turian, still half asleep but managing a smile anyway. Kynarus returned the favour, briefly forgetting about all the mess they had gotten themselves into and merely enjoying the human's company.

She closed her eyes, emitting a low groan. She seemed tired still and Kynarus took his hand off of her, instead leaning his face down to hers and gently nipping her on the side of the neck. Turians couldn't kiss like humans; they lacked the lips to do so. Instead he had to gently pinch her with his mouth where he could and this was a feeling that Katherine seemed to enjoy. She opened her eyes again but didn't move, too tired to do so.

"We should just stay in bed today," she said quietly, noticing the sunlight that was streaming in through the small gaps in the blinds, "I really can't be bothered doing much else…"

"What happened to your 'go and get 'em' attitude?" Kynarus asked, although in truth he could relate to Katherine's mood quite easily. He didn't feel like putting himself into harms' way yet again, he seemed to have done that enough times already. Deep down though he felt that the two of them had a purpose now and that purpose was to stop Dieter from carrying out his twisted schemes. That would mean getting out of bed and not wasting anymore time. This was something that would be a bit harder than Kynarus first thought.

Katherine only smiled at him, looking into his eyes and putting a hand to his chest. Kynarus took her hand in his and leaned towards her again, putting his mouth to her lips. She kissed him, her tongue finding its way into the slick inside of his mouth. Kynarus gently broke from the kiss a moment later, gently nipping her at her neck. He stopped, letting her roll onto her back. He put a hand to her stomach, rubbing her there gently.

"We can take today off," she said as Kynarus leaned forwards once more, putting an arm around her as he hovered above her. "Dieter and all those other guys can wait…"

Kynarus didn't reply, instead he put a hand to her face and pushed away the few strands of hair that had come down over her eyes. He could only agree with what Katherine was proposing but again there was that nagging thought at the back of his mind, the one which told him that he had far more urgent issues. The main urgent issue was that of Dieter and how much of a head-start he already had. It occurred to him that he had no idea where Dieter had gone, remembering that he had convinced Katherine not to tell her for fear of further fortifying this new sense of purpose he had. If he knew where Dieter was going he wouldn't be able to help himself, seizing the opportunity to finish what had started with that meeting with Colonel Sommers on the Citadel.

"I don't know about lazing around the whole day," Kynarus said with some doubt, "but we can stay here for a little while longer. It's just that part of me is telling me that we should have left in pursuit of Dieter a while ago."

Katherine frowned, her somewhat playful mod having been subdued slightly. She frowned at Kynarus, a little uncertain of how she should react.

"What? Did you suddenly develop some new sense of purpose or something?"

Kynarus nodded. Katherine lost her frown but did keep a slightly annoyed expression, as if she had been expecting an answer to the contrary.

"Well…I suppose you're right," Katherine said admittedly after a moment's thought, "we probably should get our act together. Just not right now, if you know what I mean."

She smiled and Kynarus took the hint, putting his arms around her and bringing her up slightly. He was about to lean forwards and kiss her again when the relative silence of the room was broken by the sound of someone yelling. It was a muffled bout of yelling and the words themselves were barely audible but it was still loud enough to filter through the walls of the hotel room to some extent.

Kynarus looked up, managing the turian equivalent of a frown and glancing towards the far wall. The yelling was coming from the room next door and it sounded like a woman first, followed by a man's much calmer but still fairly loud voice. They both sounded to be swearing to a large extent. Katherine only frowned at the interruption, preferring to not notice as she reached up and put her hands around the turian above her.

"Ignore it," she said bluntly, "we have better things to do anyway…"

Kynarus sat up, leaving Katherine lying where she was with a rather disappointed look on her face. The turian's curiosity had gotten the better of him, especially since the yelling seemed to be ongoing. It alternated between the man and then the woman's voice, as if there was some sort of argument between the two voices. There probably was, why else would they be shouting?

"I'm going to take a look," Kynarus said, climbing off of the bed and setting his feet on the floor. Katherine sat up, looking annoyed but otherwise she didn't say anything. Kynarus casually got dressed into the only clothes he had which was the under-suit and the armour that came with it. The Zahni Corporation logo (a set of eagle's wings) were on the shoulders of the armour, a sure indication of where he had acquired the suit of armour from. Once he was dressed he started towards the door, stopping in the bedroom's doorway and turning to look at Katherine.

"I'll be right back," he said. Katherine didn't reply, she just watched him leave. Kynarus didn't feel bad for leaving her with such short notice, he actually found it slightly amusing to see her reaction. The turian pushed these thoughts aside though as he walked through the lounge room and pushed open the hotel room's door, stepping out into the dingy corridor beyond. The room where the shouting was originating from was just to the right of theirs.

Kynarus could still hear the shouting, increasingly curious about what could possibly be causing it. He stepped towards the other room's door, listening for a moment but still not quite able to make sense of what the argument was about. It sounded like it was something to do with the woman who had been doing the most of the yelling.

Humans could be such volatile creatures sometimes. They always seemed to be fighting amongst themselves for the most trivial of reasons. Sure, turians weren't much different but the sheer amount of disputes amongst the humans that lead to wars surpassed that of every other intelligent Citadel race. The humans had had so many wars amongst themselves during their history that Kynarus found it a bit amazing that they had survived so long. He knew he shouldn't doubt such a fact though, after all he was sleeping with a human female. He was about to knock on the door when it opened in front of him, an average sized human woman with blonde hair and dressed in a fairly expensive looking dress storming out. She seemed angry, not upset but just plain angry. She faltered in her steps when she saw Kynarus but then continued walking straight past him a few seconds later, disappearing around the end of the corridor.

Kynarus peered into the room, locking eyes with a young looking and fairly well-built human who was dressed in a white suit jacket and matching pants. He had dark hair that was cut short and looked to be only in his late-twenties, perhaps early thirties. He didn't look upset, he just seemed a little flustered and red-faced. He had been about to follow the woman out of the room when he saw Kynarus standing in the doorway, regarding the turian with some surprise but quickly composing himself.

Kynarus peered around the lounge room beyond, finding that it was much different to the room he had been staying in. The vid-screen was different and framed paintings hung up on the walls. A few empty cans of beer lay on the glass coffee table in the lounge, implying that this human had been staying in this room for quite some time. The human male seemed to have composed himself into a slightly more casual and cool demeanour, acting as if nothing had happened. He fixed his collar, this movement bringing the turian's attention to the man's neck. He was wearing an expensive looking platinum necklace and a matching watch on his left wrist. Whoever this guy was he certainly had money. Why he had chosen such a cheap hotel was beyond him.

"Ah man, you see that?" The human gestured with one arm towards the doorway and in the general direction the departing woman had taken, "she just left me like that, like…" The human clicked his thumb and middle finger together. "Like that, you know?"

Kynarus had a feeling that the more he was around this human the more annoyed he would become. He didn't show his dislike of this human, preferring to keep a cool head and get straight to the point.

"I heard yelling. Is everything alright?"

"It fucking well ain't alright," the human man continued, shaking his head, "that bitch just walked out on me. Me, of all people!"

Kynarus could instantly tell this human was a bit full of himself. He did, however, find himself curious to find out a little more about this overly confident and self-absorbed human.

The human eyed Kynarus carefully before stepping towards him with an outstretched hand. He seemed to have calmed himself down a little, as if he had already forgotten about what happened.

"I almost forgot to introduce myself," the human said, "my name's Bradley Hernandez." He wiggled the fingers of his outstretched hand, expecting Kynarus to return the favour. The turian eventually did shake hands with him, squeezing hard on the human's hand and noticing a slight wince in the human's expression. Letting go Bradley brushed his hand against the front of his suit jacket, as if afraid he'll catch some sort of disease.

"I'm Kynarus Vakarian," Kynarus said, figuring he would do best to introduce himself in return, "I'm staying in the room next door…"

Bradley didn't seem to be paying much attention, instead attempting to smooth out a crease on the left sleeve of his suit. He looked up towards the turian again.

"Sorry?"

"My name's Kynarus Vakarian," Kynarus said, rolling his eyes. It was obvious this human didn't care much about other people's feelings which may explain the argument he had just had with the woman who had left.

"Hmmph…" Bradley said, looking thoughtful for a moment, "we don't get many turians here in the colony. There's the occasional mercenary but…" Bradley trailed off, frowning. "You're not a mercenary, are you?"  
Kynarus didn't answer. He could see that Bradley already knew the answer.

"Alright, so you _are_ a mercenary," he said, squinting at the Corporation insignia on Kynarus' armour's shoulders. He probably found this a bit odd but didn't say anything about it, instead he just shrugged.

"Well, I guess it's a good career if you need the money," he said, "I mean, you certainly look like mercenary material…"

Kynarus realized he was staying much longer than he should have been and decided he would get back to Katherine. That meant worming his way out of this conversation, something which would prove somewhat difficult to achieve.

"Why don't you come in and have a drink?" Bradley asked, "I could do with someone to talk to after what just happened."

"What did just happen?"

Bradley shrugged again, almost innocently. He obviously didn't think of himself as the guilty self-admitting type. He was probably the type of guy who would sell out his best friend if it meant he would get away clean. Kynarus could tell just by looking at him and watching the way he acted.

"Well, that girl and I spent the night out last night," Bradley said, "and so this morning we come back here, up to my room. Surprisingly enough she doesn't want to take our obviously blossoming relationship to the next level and so we start fighting. At least, she starts fighting…"

Kynarus realized then that asking Bradley for his side of the story had been a bad idea. He decided to change the subject, interrupting Bradley in the middle of his little story.

"How long have you been staying in this room for, exactly?" Kynarus asked. He could tell it had been a while: the lounge room had received considerable renovations compared to the normal room the turian had spent the night in. Bradley looked like he could afford something better but there was a probably good reason as to why he hadn't moved out.

"Ever since I arrived here," Bradley replied, making a proud smile, "sure, I can afford better but trying to find property here on Mars is impossible. No one's building anymore apartments since no one's bothering t come here unless they _have_ to…"

"How long have you been on Mars?" Kynarus knew the answer would be more than he had been expecting and so kept himself braced for a surprise.

"Oh, maybe about five years," Bradley replied without much thought, "I have a well-paid job and all, I just can't find anything better than this room. Staying in it for so long has made it sort of grow on me a bit so even if I found a little private place now I doubt I could bring myself to move out of here."  
Kynarus nodded although he didn't really care, He kept thinking about Katherine, lying in the bed back in the hotel room next door, waiting for him. The sooner he got away from this guy the better.

"Hey, like I was saying, come in and have a drink with me," Bradley said, stepping closer to Kynarus and putting an arm on the turian's shoulder. Before Kynarus could protest Bradley had guided him into the hotel room, escorting him to the sofa inside and making him sit down. Kynarus didn't have a chance to get up and leave before Bradley handed him a chilled bottle of beer, a popular human beverage that probably wouldn't do well in the turian's system. Bradley sat himself down next to the turian and cracked open his own bottle, downing half of it before speaking again.

"You know, I'm surprised you're not carrying a gun," Bradley said, "This colony can be a dangerous place…"

"I have a pistol back in my room," Kynarus replied. _If I ever get a chance I'll be shooting you with it._

Bradley raised an eyebrow, nodding his head as if he agreed. Kynarus wasn't sure what he was agreeing about but didn't say ask.

"Yeah, well I have a shotgun in my fridge," Bradley said, "keeping a gun cool makes it much easier to handle, I think."  
_  
That's great_, Kynarus said. It was now or never that he got himself out of this human's company and he had the feeling that Bradley would have none of it.

There was one thing that Kynarus found a little obscure about Bradley and that was about the human's occupation. Just what did he do that made him able to afford the expensive clothing and jewellery? It was probably something illegal seeing as that sort of thing was so common here and so Kynarus didn't bother asking. He didn't want to know.

"At least, that's from my personal experiences," Bradley continued, finishing off his bottle of beer and frowning when he saw that Kynarus hadn't opened the one had had given him yet.

"Not one for alcohol?" Bradley asked.

Kynarus smiled.

"Human drinks are…well, they're like having sex on the beach."

"Huh?"

"They're close to fucking water," Kynarus said, cracking open the bottle Bradley had given him and putting the neck to his mouth. He finished off the relatively weak contents within thirty seconds, belching loudly and placing the emptied bottle onto the coffee table.

It took a moment for the joke to register in Bradley's mind. When he did he began laughing loudly, patting Kynarus on the back and acting as if they were the best of friends.

"I didn't think turians had a sense of humour," Bradley said, smiling and bearing a set of pearly white teeth. Those teeth had obviously undergone intense whitening treatments to reach that state, further implying that this human earned a lot of money. From what wasn't any of Kynarus' business.

There was a moment's silence and then Bradley spoke again, his eyes going wide as he suddenly realized something.

"Hey, aren't you that turian that the MCA's after?" He said suddenly, "because I don't want to get in the shit if I'm caught hanging around you." He stood up, looking a little nervous and received an odd look from the turian who didn't seem to care. Kynarus could see that the human was obviously unintelligent enough to not have noticed this fact the first time he saw him. "I'm already in enough trouble as it is…"  
Kynarus was about to ask why this was the case when the door smashed open, falling off of its flimsy and rusted hinges. Something small, dark grey and oval shaped rolled into the room and came to rest a few metres from the coffee table. One look at it was enough to tell Kynarus what it was.

"What the fuck?" Bradley managed to say, seconds before the flash bomb went off. Kynarus had dived onto the floor, shielding his eyes as the bomb detonated. A brilliant white flash filled the room and seemed to burn right through Kynarus' eyelids. He felt Bradley fall on top of him, swearing loudly and complaining about how he couldn't see. Kynarus opened his eyes, able to make out his surroundings in a brilliant white haze that hurt his eyes. He watched as a pair of armed men in armour suits charged into the room, opening fire with their assault rifles and blowing chunks out of the sofa Kynarus and Bradley had just been sitting on.

The turian's vision cleared, enabling him to see normally. He had saved his eyes from the extent of the flash, unlike Bradley who was still lying on the floor and rubbing at his eyes. He swore loudly when the shooting started but all Kynarus did was ignore him, staying low as the two MCA soldiers marched into the room. They hadn't noticed Bradley and Kynarus lying on the floor behind the coffee table, a mistake Kynarus decided to take advantage of.

It was obvious that the MCA had tracked him and Katherine to this hotel somehow, probably from informants in the street. He doubted that Bradley was one of them, the human had obviously just been caught in the middle of it all when the MCA decided to make their move. This move was being made right now and already Kynarus could feel his heart racing, the adrenaline surging through him as he got up and lunged at the nearest soldier.

He and the soldier went falling onto the floor, the soldier's rifle firing a few rounds which slammed into the wall harmlessly. The other soldier raised his rifle but Kynarus rolled over, bringing the soldier he had hold of in front of him as the other soldier's rifle went off. Kinetic shields rippled briefly but the soldier who was shooting didn't stop in time to save his comrade, a few of the rounds punching their way through the stunned officer's armour. Kynarus took advantage of the surprised pause the other officer had when he realized he had just killed his buddy, the turian picking up the downed officer's rifle and firing from where he lay on the floor.

At this range kinetic barriers didn't act all too effectively. The MCA officer's (or soldier's, it was hard to tell which) shields gave way, the rounds ripping into his chest and blowing bloody chunks out of him. He stumbled backwards and fell onto a couch, landing in a seated position and lulling his head to one side. Kynarus thought he looked like he had just fallen asleep in the chair, an illusion that would have worked better if there hadn't been bloody holes in his chest.

By now Bradley had stood up, his vision cleared and enabling him to see the extent of the damage caused. He looked at the shot-up couch and shook his head in disbelief.

"That couch cost five hundred credits!" He exclaimed. His face contorted into one of anger and he turned to Kynarus who had just gotten off of the floor, brushing himself down and regarding the human with indifference.

"See what shit you've brought upon me now!" Bradley shouted, "Now they'll be after me as well! Seriously, what the fuck? If I had known you were going to lure them here I wouldn't have let you into my room!"

"Just shut up and get your gun," Kynarus said, able to hear the footfalls of more of the officers out in the corridor. He turned to the smashed open door, waiting for anymore of the armoured MCA officers to show up. He realized that he was back in the thick of it, having gotten away from the killing last night by a stroke of luck.

Bradley made his way over to the kitchen, pulling open his fridge and removing a large gunmetal grey shotgun from within. It was different to a standard shotgun, loaded with a drum magazine and firing old style shells rather than pellets sized as large as a grain of sand. This weapon certainly looked mean and Bradley retrieved a few ammunition boxes from a shelf inside the fridge, flicking open a latch on the drum magazine and loading in the metal shells. There was more to this human than he was letting on, Kynarus could definitely see that.

"Why would someone like you need a gun that big?" Kynarus asked as Bradley shut the fridge and turned around, having loaded up the shotgun and filled the pockets of his suit with spare shells.

"Why would a turian like you be wearing Zahni Corporation armour?" Bradley replied, pulling the pump back on the shotgun and starting towards the doorway. Kynarus realized he had been equalled that time by Bradley's return question and so didn't reply, the pair having reached the agreement that they wouldn't ask too much about each other.

Kynarus was the first out in the corridor, checking both ends and finding them empty. He started for his room's door, hoping to find Katherine unharmed and hopefully dressed. To his surprise she was standing in the doorway, dressed in her usual outfit and wearing her dirtied brown-red jacket that she seemed to wear at all times. She looked at Kynarus and then at Bradley, returning her gaze to the turian and frowning.

"Who's that guy?" She asked.

"He's from the next room," Kynarus replied, not too concerned about telling Katherine all about Bradley. Bradley, on the other hand, had slipped on a pair of expensive sunglasses and was about to introduce himself to Katherine when a nearby door was kicked open.

An MCA officer came charging out of the hotel room, rifle raised as he ran into the narrow corridor. Kynarus was the first to see him, spraying a volley of rounds in his direction and watching as the officer tumbled forwards and landed in a heap on the floor in the corridor.

"Where the hell are these guys coming from?" Bradley exclaimed. Behind them a window at the end of the hallway smashed inwards, an officer swinging in on some sort of rappelling rope in a shower of glass shards. He rolled forwards and came up firing, the rifle rounds that tore into the walls near the trio forced Kynarus and Katherine through their hotel room's door. Bradley, on the other hand, ignored the shooting and raised his shotgun.

"Fuck yeah!" He shouted with glee, pulling the trigger on his shotgun. The weapon's gunshot echoed loudly throughout the corridor and the rounds hit the officer square in the chest, the sheer force rendering his kinetic barriers useless in halting the rounds. The officer was picked up by the force of the blast, flying back through the window and falling out of the side of the hotel.

Kynarus and Katherine only exchanged glances as they saw Bradley happily gun down the officer. Neither of them had seen anyone quite like Bradley Hernandez and their exchanged looks communicated what they were both thinking. They were in the company of yet another crazy guy. First Dieter, then Schraeder…now the new madman of the day was Bradley Hernandez.

He stopped in the doorway and looked towards Kynarus and then Katherine, the shotgun's barrel smoking slightly while he stood there.

"Come on you two," he said, "these guys aren't going to kill themselves!" After this Bradley disappeared past the doorway, laughing crazily as he went. Kynarus shook his head, realizing that he had gotten himself and Katherine in yet another bad situation. Katherine, on the other hand, merely shrugged when she saw the turian's reaction.

"We must be a magnet to crazy people," she said before heading out into the corridor. Kynarus watched her from behind as she walked out, unable to do anything else but agree with her. He followed her out into the corridor, keeping his wits about him as he followed her towards the stairwell. Bradley had already made his way down a level, shouting with glee as he fired his shotgun away at out of view targets. With some hesitation Kynarus and Katherine followed him down to the next lowest floor, left with no choice but to tag along with Bradley Hernandez. They would try abandoning him the first chance they got, though.


	31. Chase

**Location: **Lowell City colony, Mars

There were days, now long gone, when humanity had seen itself as the only intelligent species in the galaxy. Back in those days' humans had been restricted to their own solar system, forming colonies on Mars and a few of Jupiter's moons in order to ease the overpopulation on Earth. There had been proper nations then, such as the United States and China who had been the first two nations to form colonies on the few hospitable planets in the solar system. None of these planets were like Earth and many humans had thought that they were the only intelligent race in existence. If there had been any other intelligent species they would have been far away and humanity would never meet with them.

In charge of the research of Mars for the United States, the superpower's Special Research Division had been formed to set up outposts on the red planet and investigate the world thoroughly. It was thought that with the ever advancing technology of humans that Mars would make the perfect candidate for terraforming, a long but theoretically possible process which would, over time, make the planet resemble Earth and be able to house carbon-based life. The Special Research Division had been tasked with finding out as much as they could about the planet and were to plan out the first stage of the terraforming process in conjunction with the Chinese. The first stage involved using gigantic mirrors, set up on many satellites that were to be placed in orbit around the planet in order to reflect sunlight onto the planet's ice caps. This would eventually melt the ice caps enough to provide oceans for the red planet and a basis to set up life.

It had been during the planning for this first stage of the terraforming process that the Prothean ruins had been discovered buried beneath the snow of the planet's southern region. What had started as a routine sonar sweep had resulted in one of humanity's most historical finds and the one that helped jump humanity's technology forwards two hundred years.

A common occurrence in history is "cause and effect", where one thing leads to many other things developing. The same went with the discovery of the Prothean ruins since this effectively proved that humans hadn't been the only intelligent species to develop in the galaxy. Religions changed and some disappeared, in place of new ones forming. World governments scrambled to control the potential anarchy that occurred in many other nations and it was decided the formation of a single world government, broken up into nation "states" would help to control the loss of law and order. As a result the Human Systems Alliance was born.

These days nations were only separated by state boundaries. The United States was now one big "state" and in its right just part of the single Earth government. The same went with many other countries, leaving the states with the names of the nations they had once been but without the competitiveness that true nations had felt between one another. Now humanity was united.

Because of the change of government, organizations like the Special Research Division were abolished. They would no longer answer to the United States government but to a single Earth government in general and so, to protect the very secretive projects the Division had been working on they had destroyed their records and broken up. Now there were only lasting reminders of the work they had done in places they had been careless with cleaning up, such as their former headquarters here outside the Lowell City colony on Mars.

Colonel Sommers had been spending the last couple of hours eating Twinkies, drinking coffee and rummaging through yellowed papers that had been recovered from the archives of the headquarters. Sommers had always been fascinated with history, especially the more recent history such as the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Such fascinating stuff had happened during those two centuries that he had many books on the subjects, especially both World Wars and every other small one that had occurred between and after them.

Especially interesting was the First Contact War back in 2156. This war had been at the start of a new era when humanity had first pushed for the stars and out of their solar system, getting the attention of the turian race and the wrath of their fleet. It was somewhat of a relief to read about the human retaliation fleet wiping out a whole turian patrol. It was events like these that showed the other races that humans were not easily trifled with. It was because of events like these that Colonel Sommers had joined Cerberus in the first place.

Twenty-seven years on from the discovery of the Prothean ruins and humanity was only just starting to be accepted into the so-called "galactic community". Some community it was, full of alien races that were always trying to get the better of one another. There were places not even the Council's decisions could affect and Mars was one of them, being far from their jurisdiction. As the locals say, "What happens on Mars stays on Mars."

The Colonel distrusted aliens just as much as any other Cerberus operative. Sure, he had been wowed at first at the advent of the First Contact War in his earlier years but now he knew that if humanity was to survive in the galaxy it would have to become better than the other races. Already there were reports of human slaves out in the Terminus Systems, being traded like material goods. There were reports of human consort girls in alien brothels, providing pleasures for members of other species. Such thoughts sickened him and further solidified the pro-human beliefs in his mind. If any alien race thought it could get the better of humanity then that race deserved to be punished and this was what Cerberus was trying to achieve.

In general, Cerberus wanted to make humanity the superior race. The more the Colonel thought about it the more he believed in their cause, knowing that deep down it was for the good of all mankind. And if anyone asked the Colonel about how well they were doing in carrying out this grand scheme, the Colonel would confidently reply that they were making excellent progress.

Reading about the past efforts of the Special Research Division stirred some memories, such as those when he had been young and watching the news-vids detailing the finding of the Prothean ruins on Mars. It was from this beginning that one era had ended and another had been brought into place and it was because of this that Colonel Sommers had joined Cerberus.

The people of the Special Research Division were heroes in their own right, having helped to find the ruins and decipher what they found inside them. One could also say they were responsible for their own downfall, having found the ruins and then being forced to break up their organization soon after. Flicking through the yellowed documents the Colonel found that the organization had been somewhat careless in destroying their records here, finding a whole wealth of information about the Prothean ruins that no one else knew about.

Cerberus analysts had already come and gone, recording what was in the files and then leaving them lying around the dilapidated headquarters building for any Tom, Dick or Harry to read. It was from these documents that Cerberus had learnt of the existence of the so-called "mysterious package", a term that the Colonel had decided not to use since to him the package itself wasn't so mysterious.

It was an item, not very big or very heavy which had been recovered from the Prothean ruins in 2148. Stored into a lead-lined metal container and marked with the identification code of 'BMH-0018' it had been shipped off to Earth for starters for researchers there to hopefully solve it mysteries. After that the package had been marked as 'dangerous' and shipped to a secure facility on the remote world of Klensal, far from the prying eyes of the Council and other races.

The part about Klensal wasn't in these dated records since the planet hadn't actually been discovered in 2148. Instead, the Colonel had learnt this himself through other records found that related to the very same package. In truth he wasn't actually sure what was inside it but he did know what was inside was dangerous, possibly radioactive since the container had been lined with thick panels of lead. The container itself weighed more than the item inside apparently.

The Colonel had been given the task of finding this container and its contents. It had sounded like a routine enough assignment, one that the Illusive Man had been willing to put plenty of Cerberus' resources towards. That meant that the Colonel could order more soldiers and equipment whenever he wanted to, just as long as Cerberus received minimal attention. This was why the Colonel had been so willing to let a turian mercenary carry out the job of finding it since such a move wouldn't give Cerberus very much attention at all. Of course, the Colonel was never going to pay the mercenary for his troubles and would have had him killed before removing the container from his cold, dead fingers. This had been the plan until everything had backfired, starting with the Zahni Corporation raid on Klensal.

Contrary to what had originally been implied by other sources, the package had been moved from Klensal a year prior to the raid that Dieter Sturlmann had organized on the research facility there. This had been a lucky move since otherwise Dieter would have gotten the package and would have carried out whatever nefarious schemes he had planned.

Cerberus had intelligently planted a false package on Klensal which had then been moved to Talerian a week before the raid, the actual one having disappeared without a trace weeks before Herbert von Schraeder turned up in prison. This was too much of a coincidence for Colonel Sommers to simply put at the back of his mind and ever since he had been assigned with the task of finding it he had always figured that the secret lay with Schraeder. Unfortunately he had been too caught up in trying to remove Dieter first to really do much about it.

Now Schraeder was free, having been broken out by a squad of Dieter's best soldiers and that traitorous turian mercenary. The Colonel had waited too long to make his move on getting Schraeder and interrogating him and now the whole operation had been jeopardized. Chances are he was leading Dieter straight to the package right now and according to Hermann Holst that meant the two of them had headed to Buenos Aires.

The Colonel had at first been rather upset by these developments and had made sure to organize some sort of countermeasures. That meant getting rid of the turian and that human woman who kept turning up in Cerberus affairs and following up on Hermann Holst's information. So far they were in the process of arranging a flight for the informant to Buenos Aires so that he could conveniently "show up" at Dieter's doorstep and get back into the Corporation head honcho's plans. They didn't suspect Hermann for anything and the Colonel could only hope the deception lasted long enough for them to pinpoint Dieter's location and make their move.

The Colonel was sitting at one of the dusty metal desks in the largest office, situated on the top floor of the old headquarters building. It had once belonged to the head of the Special Research Division's operations here on Mars before the organization had been forced to break apart and disappear.

The Colonel had sort of adopted this office as his own, having set up a vid-screen at one side of the room and cleaned up the once messy office to some extent. There was still plenty of dust, most of it being red dirt (they were on Mars after all, home of much red dirt) and plenty of discarded papers lying around but it was better than most other offices which were absolute messes in comparison. The Colonel had taken up many of the old, discarded papers that had once littered the floor and stacked them neatly in the far corner of the room. A few empty Twinkie wrappers were on the desk as well as a few unopened ones, a mug of steaming hot coffee resting near the Colonel's right elbow. Reading through all of this history had made the Colonel develop a hunger for sugary sweets and caffeine so Twinkies and coffee helped to satisfy these cravings.

It felt somewhat inspiring to be sitting at the centre of a historical site, since this building was the last known headquarters of the now non-existent Special Research Division. The Colonel wouldn't normally busy himself with spending his time in dusty old offices but the sheer amount of information available to him here was just too good to pass up and so he had spent the last two hours reading through twenty-something year old documents, slowly piecing together the many mysteries of the Prothean ruins and what they contained. The more he knew about them the better.

_Knowledge is power_. The Colonel was a strong believer in this old saying and was constantly lapping up any useful information he could remember, keeping on the lookout for anything to do with the actual contents of the so-called "mysterious package".

The Colonel had mostly forgotten about the meddling turian and his human girlfriend, confident that the Mars Colonial Authority would take care of them. He was still disappointed at the failure of the raid on the Zahni Corporation spaceport, another failure that the Illusive Man would probably fuss about during their next talk. He was fairly confident the Man wouldn't have much else to say seeing as he was a busy man and all. There was always something happening in Cerberus for the Man to take care off and the Colonel was fairly sure some of it was more important than what he was doing. This wouldn't be the case when the Colonel finally succeeded in getting his hands on the package and winning himself the respect he deserved but until then he could put up with being neglected.

Things were a little too quiet in the office so the Colonel had found himself a radio and had placed it on the desk, tuning in to whatever radio stations broadcasted through the colony. There wasn't much but he finally settled on one that played rather old songs, keeping the noise in the background as he read through the files.

It was a surprise when the vid-screen flickered on, displaying the words 'INCOMING PRIVATE VIDEO-LINK' across a blue screen. The Colonel turned around and paused to think whether he should actually open the link since he wasn't expecting anyone to call him today. Maybe he should, just to see who it was. Flicking off the radio he swivelled in his chair to face the screen and spoke for the voice-activation unit for the screen.

"Establish link," the Colonel said casually. He seemed to do a double-take when he saw who it was, able to see the neat and tidy desk and dark curtains over the window behind the figure seated at the desk. It was the first time he had seen the Illusive Man and it was some surprise to see the somewhat authoritative but middle-aged man with the greying hair glaring at him and clenching his jaw.

The Illusive Man did show his face, just not in public. His real name was long forgotten and all records of who he may have once been had been effectively removed from existence. Instead he had become an enigma, the man behind Cerberus who pulled the strings from a distant office in an unspecified region on Earth. He showed his face to those on important missions for the organization and to the bodyguard unit that guarded him but to no one else unless he had to. It was hard to keep someone's identity secret in this day and age where someone could be recognized on sight by a surveillance camera; all it took was a simple computer command to bring up every file to do with the identified face. The Illusive Man, however, had kept up this charade of keeping a non-proper name and keeping himself out of public view for years, ever since Cerberus had been first formed. If Colonel Sommers assumed correctly, some of the old Special Research Division scientists now worked for Cerberus. He wouldn't be surprised if the Illusive Man had worked in that once secretive organization himself.

The Illusive Man displayed all those qualities of leadership and sinisterness that one often associated with the villain out of an old movie. The Colonel had been half-expecting the Illusive Man to be petting a fluffy white cat which would have been seated on his lap but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Perhaps the Illusive Man wasn't a cat person?

How did Colonel Sommers know the man on the vid-screen, seated at a desk with a sunlight streaming through a window behind him was the Illusive Man? Well, the Colonel just knew. It was a safe assumption and the voice he heard come from the man's mouth sounded a lot like the one that had ordered him over secure calls throughout the operation unless it had been digitally altered. The Colonel composed himself quickly, making it appear as if he hadn't been interrupted nor surprised by this unexpected call.

"Ah…sir…" The Colonel found himself at a loss for words and struggled to form a proper sentence. The Illusive Man didn't seem to notice; instead he kept his eyes set on the Colonel with reasonable sternness.

"Surprised to see me for once, Colonel?"

The Colonel fell silent and simply nodded. He felt a little anxious, finally talking to the very leader of Cerberus face-to-face (to some extent) but embarrassed because he couldn't come up with anything good to say. Instead he decided he would let the Illusive Man guide this unexpected conversation along.

"You could say that…" The Colonel began to speak but was interrupted by the Illusive Man who simply interjected with some bluntness.

"Now isn't the time for pleasantries, Colonel," he said, "rather, now is the time to get down to business. I understand that you've been having some difficulty with getting results for the operation, something which I understand is because of outside interference?"

The Colonel could see the middle-aged man on the vid-screen wasn't at all interested in small talk. He was frowning a business-like but stern frown which told the Colonel what he was thinking. This operation had gone on for too long and received very few results that would benefit the organization. The Colonel composed himself but was unable to help but feel a little anxious, feeling sweat form on his forehead despite the relatively cool interior of the office. The first time he gets to see his boss's face and he ends up a nervous wreck.

"And by outside interference I'm referring to the Zahni Corporation. Not to mention the turian you so confidently hired to do the dirty work for you," the Illusive Man said, shaking his head in a pitiful manner, "now that idea has come back to bite you in the ass, hasn't it Colonel?"

"I didn't think it would happen," the Colonel said, ignoring his boss's obvious attempt at intimidating him, "I told you about what I thought were the best ways to carry out the task you gave me. I spent a week looking through records for the best candidate, the one we could get rid of without attracting too much attention. The one mercenary who nobody else cared about, the one with no ties to other organizations. I found Kynarus Vakarian and was confident that a wash-out like him would do the job we gave him…"

"Your plan backfired, Colonel," the Illusive Man said, his voice cold, "you failed and now that turian's stabbing you from behind. Not only that but you haven't given me any positive results about the item I ordered you to find. Instead your men have been shooting up the settlement on Talerian and the streets of the Citadel…"

"Those incidents were a mistake," the Colonel said, the Illusive Man shooting him an annoyed glance at the interruption. The Colonel knew all too well he had been failing but he was also confident the operation would be over soon, especially when Hermann told them where Dieter was. Once they had that information they could get straight to the business of removing the Zahni Corporation from their way.

"Johannes, the squad leader you gave me, was unstable," the Colonel said, realizing he was speaking a little fast and tried his best to slow down, "he was reckless, killing innocent civilians. Human civilians at that! So I removed him. That's why I'm confident we'll have this operation tied up, since he's out of the way and we're close to making a breakthrough…"

The Illusive Man looked doubtful, not quite sure whether he should believe what the Colonel was saying or not. He didn't seem to care much for the obvious death of Johannes and probably had a hundred men like him just itching to take his place.

"What kind of breakthrough, Colonel?" The Illusive Man asked, "You've spent the last few days on Mars and even then Dieter's men still managed to break out Schraeder. By now I would have put someone else in charge of the operation and had you removed, but I still believe in your abilities. That's why you're still in your position."  
The Colonel nodded. He could see that his boss was telling the truth, he just found it as a bit of a surprise to hear that the Illusive Man was confident in what he could do.

"I understand, sir…"

"No, I don't think you do. My associates have been discussing you and your performance and have come to the conclusion that another major failure will be enough for you to be removed from this operation. Do you want that to happen, Colonel?"

Colonel Sommers shook his head. Of course he didn't want it to happen. He was in charge of one of the biggest operations in the history of Cerberus and the one thing he didn't want was to lose the chance to make history.

"No…"

"Then make sure you don't fail me again, Colonel," the Illusive Man said, his tone harsh and cold, "because not even I will be able to help you if you do." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. The Colonel knew what he had to do; he just needed to know where Dieter was before he could finish the Zahni Corporation off.

"Tell me about this 'breakthrough' you think you're close to doing?" The Illusive Man asked, his tone changed to one of curiosity, "and maybe I can judge whether it should be worth your time pursuing."  
The Colonel nodded. It was always best to do as the Illusive Man asked, no matter what for.

"You do remember the informant I mentioned that we have inside Dieter's circle of associates in the Corporation?" The Colonel asked, seeing the Illusive Man nod, "well, we're sending him to Buenos Aires. It seems Dieter and Schraeder have made their escape to there and I think it's because Schraeder knows where the package is. Why it would be in Buenos Aires is beyond me but I do have confidence in the informant…"

"Are you sure the informant's cover hasn't been blown?" The Illusive Man asked, raising an eyebrow with uncertainty, "because it would explain why he was left on Mars with you, Colonel."  
The Colonel shook his head, realizing he knew something the Illusive Man didn't. That was no easy feat and he couldn't help but grin a little but not too much. The Illusive Man might get suspicious of him.

"The reason they left him here was because they were in a hurry," the Colonel said, "I organized a squad of officers from the Mars Colonial Authority to raid Dieter's spaceport here. We found our informant wounded but still very much alive, having received a few bullets during the confusion of the firefight. He would have boarded Dieter's ship but he had been shot in the legs a few times so we ended up finding him instead."

The Illusive Man nodded slowly as the Colonel spoke. He seemed to understand what the Colonel was trying to do but he could still see some doubt on his boss' features.

"That sounds understandable, but the point is you let Dieter escape in the first place," the Illusive Man said, "not only that but you couldn't prevent them from breaking Schraeder out of prison. As you and I both know, Schraeder is a dangerous piece of work. With him released I wouldn't be surprised if he started organizing moves against us."

Herbert von Schraeder was a nasty piece of work, responsible for many deaths and crimes. He was a powerful biotic and some said that he was psychic although the Colonel took these rumours with a grain of salt. The reason Schraeder had been thrown in prison was because of an excellently setup plan by Cerberus that the Colonel had had a hand in, deciding that if they wanted the Zahni Corporation out of the way they would have to remove the leader. Unfortunately they hadn't been betting on Dieter to simply step into Schraeder's place and do a better job of running the Corporation than Schraeder ever had. As well as that Dieter was far more discreet, usually keeping out of the public eye whenever possible.

"What about that turian, Vakarian? And that woman, Tyler? What are you going to do about those two?"

The Colonel's train of thought was broken by the sound of his boss' voice and he looked up at the vid-screen, seeing the seriousness on the Illusive Man's face and feeling a sudden bout of anxiety because of it.

"The MCA will take care of those two before they can provide more interference," the Colonel replied, although not even he could keep the doubt out of his own voice. So far the MCA had failed in getting rid of Kynarus Vakarian and Katherine Tyler and according to recent reports they were planning on making another move to get rid of them. The Administrator was certainly living up to his end of the deal; he just wasn't doing a good job of it.

"Are you sure about that, Colonel?"  
The Colonel nodded.

"I'm sure," The Colonel replied, "a turian and his human girlfriend won't stand much of a chance against hordes of armed officers out to kill them."

The Illusive Man didn't reply straight away, instead he fiddled briefly with a pen that was lying on the desk in front of him before speaking again.

"Like I said, Colonel," the Illusive Man said, "one more major failure and you're off of this operation, do you understand?"

The Colonel nodded again, given no choice but to agree. He knew he had failed enough times already and was just relieved that he was being given a second chance.

"I understand," The Colonel said, "and I promise, I won't fail you sir."

"I hope not," the Illusive Man added, "for your sake, not mine." With that the Illusive Man flicked a switch and the video-link ended, the Colonel's vid-screen going black while the words 'LINK CANCELLED' displayed across the screen's centre.

The Colonel swallowed, his heart racing and sweat running down his forehead. One more failure, that's all it would take. That meant that he couldn't let Dieter escape again or let that turian interfere with the operation again.

_That damn turian…_

The Colonel clenched his right hand into a fist, feeling the anger build up inside of him. Kynarus Vakarian had been the one to cause so much interference to the operation and had even had the nerve to punch the Colonel's lights out back at the prison. If it wasn't for him maybe they would have been able to stop Schraeder from escaping.

_That fucking turian. I swear, when I find you…_

"I'll kill him." The Colonel spoke quietly, voicing his thoughts for that moment. He stood up and with a sudden bout of fiery rage he swung at the papers and the coffee mug on the desk, sending these items flying off of the desk and onto the floor. Coffee spilt and stained the carpet while the mug landed intact. The mug seemed to mock him by not breaking and so the Colonel bent down and picked it up, throwing it hard against the far wall and smiling as it smashed into a dozen or so pieces.

"Is everything alright, sir?"

The Colonel turned his head, noticing that one of the guards was standing in the doorway with a concerned expression. The Colonel simply nodded in response to the guard's question, smiling casually and pretending that nothing had happened. The anger in him subsided enough for him to speak without yelling.

"Everything's just fine," the Colonel replied coolly.

* * *

Kynarus Vakarian knew that the best course of action would be to ditch Bradley Hernandez, the human who seemed to be enjoying himself as they made their way to the ground floor of the hotel. MCA officers busted in through the windows and doors while a group flooded into the bar at the entrance, rifles raised as they put themselves into position. Bradley was gunning his way down each floor while Kynarus and Katherine tagged along behind, not quite sure whether having him on their side was a good or bad thing.

The MCA certainly seemed to be trying hard to get rid of the turian and Katherine which proved just how much they had left their mark on the organization. This would also make Mars far harder to escape from since the MCA would have surveillance at every spaceport in the colony save for the few privately owned ones.

Kynarus and Katherine moved through the corridors of the hotel, weapons held at the ready as they checked each floor they passed through. Bradley was up ahead, stepping over a few corpses of dead MCA officers as he moved through the hotel floor with surprising speed. He gripped his large, shell-loading shotgun as he went, hurrying towards the flight of stairs ahead that went down to the next lowest floor.

"I think we should ditch him," Kynarus said as he moved with Katherine checking each open room for enemies as they walked past. Katherine glanced towards him, giving him a look which communicated her agreement on the subject.

"I think we should as well," she replied, "I mean, seriously, how did he even get involved?"

Kynarus shrugged, stepping over a pair of corpses of dead MCA officers. They were victims of Bradley's shotgun shooting, several large chunks blown out of their chests. Pools of blood had formed around their bodies, staining the carpet red as their lifeless faces stared up at the ceiling. It was obvious Bradley had experience in killing and shooting before, it would explain why he had such a heavy-duty weapon. As well as that, what job could he have that would earn him enough money to buy expensive clothes and big guns? Kynarus was determined to get to the bottom of the enigma that was Bradley Hernandez, just as soon as they got out of this hotel alive.

"Bradley, wait up!" Katherine shouted down the hallway and towards the white-suited man about to start down the stairs ahead. He stopped and looked back at the pair, raising an eyebrow as he pumped his shotgun. He turned around a few seconds later and started down the stairs, barely waiting for Kynarus and Katherine to wait up.

"I really think we should ditch him," Kynarus said although he did realize that such an idea would be harder than it sounded, "once we're outside, we leave him alright?"

Katherine could see that Kynarus didn't like Bradley and simply smiled, finding this dislike of his amusing.

"You don't like too many people, do you?" Katherine asked as they arrived at the stairwell. Bradley was slowly making his way down to the ground floor, alert and cautious as he went. Whoever else had been in the hotel had left now, leaving the three outlaws and the MCA officers behind to fight each other. Hotel rooms had been left wide open as the occupants had fled the scene, something which Kynarus had expected Bradley to do at the first sign of trouble. Instead he had picked up his gun and joined in on the "fun" and this was one reason why Kynarus didn't trust him. He didn't know enough about the guy to even think of trusting him.

"I like you, don't I?" Kynarus said, starting down the stairs. He kept his rifle at the ready, stepping down the stairs and into the bar on the ground floor. It was dimly lit, blue and purple lights creating a moody setting in the bar and the restaurant. Tables and chairs had been knocked over during the stampede of civilians as they had hurried out of the hotel while some had been made into makeshift barricades. Kynarus doubted wood and flimsy metal would be able to stop bullets but it was obvious the MCA officers scattered throughout the restaurant and bar area believed so. They were doing their best at hiding although Kynarus could clearly make out the exposed side of one of them behind the bar.

Upon seeing them Bradley was the first to shoot, blasting one of the barricades and blowing a large chunk out of it. The officer behind it was sent sliding across the floor a short distance from the power of the shot, coming to rest against a pot plant by the hotel entrance. Immediately the other officers came up to fire, Kynarus and Katherine scattering as the hail of bullets began. Bradley dived and slid across the tiled floor a short distance, coming to rest behind a pillar as bullets blew chunks out of the tiles near him.

Kynarus made his way around the side of the bar counter, surprising the officer taking cover here. The turian fired first, spraying the bullets in the officer's direction with reckless abandon. Glasses broke and bottles smashed, spilling drinks and creating a sticky puddle across the top of the bar which began dripping onto the floor. The officer twirled and spun, falling backwards against the shelfs behind the bar and sending glasses and bottles falling upon him and the floor, these items smashing into many smaller pieces around him.

Katherine had ducked behind another pillar, keeping herself out of view of the enemy as bullets blew chunks out of the front of the pillar, sending clouds of dust floating from the holes. Kynarus ducked behind the bar as a few rifles thundered, sending bullets smashing into the wood of the bar counter and blasting splinters of wood out of it. He kept his head down as he moved down the bar, finding his way to a position which had an angle of fire right behind the barricades the MCA officers had taken cover behind.

Kynarus exposed himself as he went to fire, ignoring the shots that smashed the top of the bar counter in front of him. He pulled the trigger of his rifle and let the nearest pair of MCA officers have it, watching as their bodies twisted and turned under the hail of bullets. The three other officers further ahead shifted their attention towards him, all three rifles firing at the same time. Kynarus ducked back behind the bar, feeling his heart racing and the adrenaline surging through him. He took a deep breath, watching with some fascination as the glasses and bottles on the shelf in front of him were absolutely shot to pieces, sending a shower of glass and a spray of drinks onto him. Traces of a fizz beverage sprayed into his eyes, stinging them ever so slightly. He rubbed them quickly, clearing them before he came up again and started shooting.

Katherine and Bradley also opened fire on the three remaining officers, blasting apart their flimsy barricade. Bradley's shotgun blew a massive chunk out of the table that made up part of the barricade and both of the officers were hit by a volley of the pellets, falling into a heap either side of each other. Neither of them got back up again, inclining the three outlaws to cease fire. Kynarus stood up, rifle raised as he scanned the inside of the restaurant and bar area of the hotel for anymore hostiles. Katherine and Bradley slowly made their way from behind their cover, looking around the bar and restaurant area as the dust began to settle.

Kynarus lowered his rifle, glancing over at Katherine to see if she was alright. He didn't do the same for Bradley since he didn't care about him. In actual fact he would have preferred it if Bradley had met his untimely end during this shootout but it seemed that was a little too much to ask.

"Yeah, that was awesome!" Bradley exclaimed suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the room. He flipped a switch on his shotgun and the drum magazine moved out of place, allowing him to load another few shells into the empty chambers of the weapon before he clicked it back into place again.

"Why the hell are you tagging along with us?" Kynarus asked, unable to keep the anger out of his voice. Bradley looked towards him, raising an eyebrow but otherwise unfazed by the turian's sudden anger towards him. "Haven't you got anything better to do?"

"I'm tagging along with you two because I know that you're my tickets off of this rock," Bradley said, trying his best to look innocent. Kynarus wasn't too sure what the human was implying but didn't really care either.

"What do you mean?" Katherine asked. She didn't sound too concerned about Bradley's presence, unlike Kynarus who was already fed up with the human's reckless attitude.

"The only reason I've been stuck here is because the MCA impounded my ship," Bradley explained, "because, well, they think I'm a smugger…"

"Are you a smuggler?"

"No, I'm not," Bradley said, looking a little anxious now, "besides, what's with this barrage of questions anyway? Is this some sort of interrogation?"

_Yeah, it is._

Kynarus smiled grimly, seeing that he had Bradley on the back-foot now. He was going to find out what this guy did for a living that enabled him to earn so much money. This was more to satisfy his curiosity than anything else.

"What do you do for a living, anyway?" Kynarus asked, "I'm just curious…"

Bradley tugged nervously at his collar with one hand in a manner that implied that this was the question he had been dreading ever since he had met the turian.

"Well…I'm a thrill seeker, for starters," Bradley said, composing himself and smiling with a beam of pride, "besides, you two could do with a man like me by your side. I have contacts that can help you and I get off of this rock…"

"Then how come you haven't used them to leave earlier?" Kynarus asked. The look that crossed Bradley's pride beaming face made the turian feel some satisfaction, seeing that he was tugging the right strings with the human. Bradley's smile disappeared and he looked anxious again, embarrassed almost.

"My job is here," he said, "I can't leave it. It's just that now I feel I'm beginning to, uh…to push my luck a little…"

"You're full of shit," Kynarus said, pointing an accusing finger at Bradley and using a human expletive to emphasise his point. He could tell Bradley was lying; he was an excellent reader of people's body language which was a skill he had developed over his years as a mercenary. He had put up with liars before and he could tell that Bradley was a terrible liar.

"Alright, damn it!" Bradley exclaimed, shaking his head with resignation, "I'm a fucking drug dealer, alright? I supply people with whatever illicit substance they want. That's why I earn so much money; it's just that recently there have been a few attempts on my life…" He trailed off, waiting to see the turian's reaction. Kynarus just glared at him, overcome with the sudden thought that maybe Bradley might actually be of some use. "I need to get off Mars before I wind up dead. You two seem to be the best option I've got since I can't do this by myself. We need to help each other out, don't you think so?"

Katherine had been listening to the conversation as it progressed; frowning when Bradley confessed is occupation. She didn't seem too fussed about it and looked towards Kynarus to see his reaction, finding that the turian had calmed down a bit. A little too much, she thought.

"A drug dealer, huh?" Kynarus asked.

Bradley nodded.

"So what if I'm a drug dealer? It gets me the money I need to get by," he said innocently.

"You deal in red sand?" Kynarus asked. Katherine shot him a surprised glance, a little unsure of what to think of him when she heard him ask this question. Bradley, on the other hand, smiled and nodded again.

"Kye, what are you thinking?" She asked, sounding a little annoyed. Kynarus immediately felt a bit embarrassed by her reaction, realizing that confessing his liking of illicit substances in front of her probably hadn't been such a good idea.

"Sorry," Kynarus said, scratching at the back of his head and shying away from Katherine's piercing gaze, "it's just that I never told you I sort of…you know, like that sort of thing…"

Katherine didn't reply. The annoyance on her face seemed to ease away and the three of them stood where they were in silence for a moment, each of them waiting for someone else to speak.

"So, uh…You can help get us off Mars, huh?" Kynarus asked, looking towards Bradley again. The human nodded, able to notice that the mood had changed to a much more anxious one amongst the three of them.

"I know some people who know some people…So yeah, I can probably get us off this rock," Bradley said, pausing for a moment to think before adding, "I'm sure going to miss Mars though, even if it is a bit of a shithole…"

His reminiscing was interrupted by the sound of shouting from outside, the three outlaws inside the hotel turning their heads towards the entrance doors. Through the glass doors they could see the street outside as a few MCA officers started moving into positions, training their weapons onto the glass doors in preparation for the inevitable exit the three outlaws would have to take. Kynarus brought his rifle up so he was gripping it with both hands, his left at the trigger while his right clutched at the base of the barrel. He turned to Bradley and Katherine, watching as the three of them brought up their weapons as well in preparation for what was to come.

Kynarus could see there were maybe about four officers right outside, crouched behind their pair of parked rovers. There were probably further out on the street but he, Katherine and Bradley would have to deal with each threat as they came along. Kynarus turned to Katherine, able to see that she was as determined as he was to get out of this hotel and off of Mars. They exchanged glances before checking over their weapons once more.

"Maybe we should use the backdoor," Katherine suggested although she didn't seem to be seriously contemplating on carrying out this suggestion.

"That would be too intelligent," Kynarus replied bluntly, "besides, I think those MCA types will have men at the backdoor as well."

"What are we waiting for?" Bradley asked, pumping his shotgun again, "let's go. Standing around in here is getting boring."

Kynarus nodded in agreement, starting towards the entrance/exit. The three of them walked side by side, the glass doors sliding open as they approached. Outside they could see the four rifles trained on them and the officers the rifles belonged to, crouched behind their rovers. The rover Katherine had commandeered from the Zahni Corporation hangar was still parked nearby and made the most obvious means of escape. Kynarus eyed the four officers carefully, able to see the fear in their faces. So far Kynarus was responsible for the deaths of quite a number of their fellow officers so word would have obviously spread throughout their ranks about the near-invincible turian. This was the very turian that seemed to have no trouble slaughtering dozens of MCA officers and survive to tell the tale.

Kynarus couldn't help but feel some pride at his status as an outlaw towards the Mars Colonial Authority but he did know it would make getting off Mars all the more troublesome. They were after him and Katherine as well, and now that Bradley was involved they would go after him. The three of them were in it too deep to back out now.

There was a pair of MCA officers across the street, one of which was holding what looked to be a rocket launcher while the other was loading it. As soon as Kynarus, Katherine and Bradley had stepped outside the officers fired, bullets ripping blowing chunks out of the walls behind them and smashing the glass in the automatic doors. The three of them scattered seconds before the officer with the rocket launcher fired, the rocket leaving a smoking white contrail through the air as it flew. It slammed into the parked rover that Katherine had taken from the Zahni Corporation spaceport, causing the rover to explode into a ball of flame and smoke. Its scorched metal hulk jumped up high into the air and came crashing straight back down, its wheels flying off into different directions as it went.

Kynarus realized then that their ride had been effectively removed. He jumped behind a newsstand, the vid-screens on it playing the day's news and flashing several familiar images, one of which included a close-up of his face as yet another call went out to the public about the MCA needing to apprehend him.

Katherine and Bradley had ducked behind a metal bench nearby and were being fired upon while the officer handling the rocket launcher waited as his buddy started loading in another rocket.

Kynarus raised his rifle and fired a volley of rounds, most of which hit the officer with the rocket launcher and sent him twirling slightly as he fell, the large bulky launcher falling from his grip as he went down. The other officer proceeded to pull out his pistol and start running for cover but Kynarus cut him down with ease, allowing himself to concentrate on the four officers that were firing from their positions behind the rovers. Kynarus turned his attention to one pair of officers, firing in their general direction and watching as the rover was filled with bullet holes. Its windows smashed and a few of the shots went straight through to hit the one of the officers behind, sending him into the dirt and removing another threat.

Katherine and Bradley were firing away at the other pair of officers who were crouched behind the other MCA rover, effectively reducing the rover to Swiss cheese in the process. The tyres burst and the windows smashed while smoke beginning to pour out from underneath the hood, indicating that the vehicle had been rendered useless. The volatile mix of element zero that fuelled the vehicle resulted in an extreme case of combustion, the rover detonating into a ball of flame a few seconds later and in turn sent the two officers behind it to get thrown through the air like tennis balls. They landed at the other side of the street, hitting street-side furniture and knocking over a newsstand in the process. When both of them came to rest all bloody and burnt Kynarus was sure they wouldn't be getting up again.

This left the one officer who had started to retreat, screaming into his helmet's radio for backup. Katherine brought up her pistol and fired several rounds as he backed away from the relative safety of behind the MCA rover, the officer falling into the dirt with a few bloodied holes in his chest. Satisfied that this shootout was over, Kynarus stood up and lowered his rifle while his eyes darted around the length of the street.

One way the street went into a large tunnel which disappeared around a corner. Signs above the tunnel entrance mentioned the street names and the points of interest there. The other end of the street broke off at a T-junction, buildings lining either way while pedestrians had started to lock themselves inside. A few were running past, going to and fro and completely ignoring the three armed outlaws who stood outside the Last Resort hotel.

Kynarus made his way over to where Bradley and Katherine were standing, keeping alert in case more MCA officers showed up. He stopped, gripping his rifle in his left hand as he racked his mind for a new approach. Soon enough backup would be arriving for the wiped out unit of MCA officers so the three of them would have to get moving.

"What now?" Katherine asked as Kynarus approached. The turian just shrugged in response, not too sure about the answer to that question himself. Bradley, on the other hand, seemed to have a good if somewhat obvious idea.

"We gotta find some transport," he said, "I know just the place to go…"

Just as he said this a lone, dirtied rover turned a corner from one end of the street. It was a taxi, the yellow markings on the side and the sign atop indicating that this was the case. The rover had obviously seen better days, a shadow of what it may have once been. Its grey paintwork had been dirtied and it looked like it hadn't been washed for years.

As the driver drove towards the scene of devastation he seemed to slow down, trying his best to avoid running over any of the corpses that littered the street. Kynarus suddenly had a good idea and looking at Bradley and Katherine he could see that they were thinking the same sort of thing.

Within seconds the three of them had started running towards the cab, Kynarus stopping in front of it and pointing his rifle squarely at the driver he could just make out through the dirtied windscreen. Katherine and Bradley were at either side, weapons raised. Katherine was the one who did the talking.

"Open the doors!" She shouted, the taxi pulling to a stop. The side doors did open and Katherine sat herself down in the passenger seat, pointing her pistol squarely at the driver. Bradley climbed into the backseat and Kynarus went inside to sit down on the backseat at the other side.

The inside of the cab smelt musty and the seats were dirty, covered with crumbs from past foods that people had eaten while sitting. Kynarus noticed a large stain on the floor near his feet and thought that it looked like the sort of stain that would be created if someone had thrown up on the floor. He tried to take his mind off of this, shutting the door next to him while Bradley did the same. Katherine closed her door and had her pistol pointed at the side of the driver's head.

The driver was a dark-skinned human with dark hair and a dark stubbly growth on the lower half of his face. He had begun to sweat from the life threatening situation he had found himself in and looked anxious, looking at Katherine with wide eyes.

"If you want us to keep you in the cab you'll start driving," Katherine said, her voice a cold, sharp tone. She didn't lower the pistol, making sure that the driver got the point. Kynarus saw the ID tag on the dashboard which displayed a picture of the driver and any necessary details. His name was Benny Marshall and he was thirty-seven years old.

"Ah man, this is all I need today!" Benny exclaimed, almost annoyed by his circumstances. Before he had a chance to continue Kynarus heard the sounds of engines behind them, turning around and looking through the dirtied back window.

He spotted two MCA rovers rounding a corner at the T-junction at the far end of the street, able to catch a glimpse of an officer leaning out of the side of one of them with his rifle raised. There was the sound of it firing and Kynarus ducked, the back window smashed inwards and showering him with glass. Benny shouted with surprise and suddenly floored the accelerator, making Kynarus and Bradley lurch forwards where they sat.

"We have company!" Bradley exclaimed, turning around so that he was looking through the smashed back window. He raised his shotgun and started to return fire, the pair of MCA rovers coming within twenty metres of the cab as Benny sped into the tunnel.

"Goddamn it, I don't want to die!" Benny shouted, "I have five kids to feed!"

"Shut up and drive!" Katherine shouted in return.

"What the fuck do you think I'm doing?" Benny said, his voice frantic, "just quit pointing that gun at me!"

Kynarus returned his gaze back through the smashed back window, the inside of the tunnel rushing past them in a brown-red blur. Behind them the two rovers were trying to match the cab's speed, coming up behind them side by side. An officer was leaning out of the passenger-side window of each rover, rifle raised but unable to get a clear shot as they sped through the winding tunnel. The cab was kicking up a fair amount of brown-red dust which it sent into the fronts of the MCA rovers, further impeding the aim of the gunners. Kynarus raised his rifle and started firing, spraying the front of the rover on the left with bullets and smashing out the front windscreen. The gunner in this rover slumped and fell forwards, falling out of the rover and tumbling onto the ground. He disappeared in the plume of brown-red dust that the speeding vehicles left before them.

Kynarus could see the driver of this rover a little better now and started firing again, being knocked to one side as Benny rounded the cab around a sharp corner. A few pedestrians shouted insults as they jumped out of the way, surprised at the arrival of the speeding rovers. Kynarus' rifle was sent flying from his grip as he hit the side door painfully, swearing in his native tongue loudly.

"Sorry, man!" Benny shouted.

Kynarus' rifle slid across the top of the back seat and through the windowless space before him, sliding off of the back of the rover and disappearing off of the vehicle. Swearing again Kynarus went for where his pistol was holstered but found the holster empty, realizing he had left it back in the hotel room.

_Could this situation get any worse?_

Both MCA rovers were still on their tail although it was obvious Benny was doing his best to outrun them, swerving at a hairpin bend in the tunnel and smashing through a set of roadwork signs. The MCA rover Kynarus had shot-up a fair bit didn't make the turn successfully, sliding along the ground and bowling over one of the orange-vested road-workers. The rover tumbled onto its side and began to roll, disappearing from view past the entrance to this smaller and narrower tunnel.

Kynarus noticed that this tunnel was more dimly lit than the others and that there were quite a number of orange-vested road-worker men in hard-hats, moving metal pylons around as they worked on supporting the new tunnel. They were jumping out of the way as the cab and pursuing MCA rover sped past, occasionally hurling insults but otherwise getting back to work as soon as the threat had passed.

Bradley took aim at the rover again and began firing, blowing out the front windscreen. There was a spray of blood as the driver was hit, the rover swerving off to one side and scraping against the rock wall of the tunnel. The gunner moved back inside the rover, struggling to grab the steering wheel and regain control of the vehicle. Instead one set of wheels hit a clump of rocks and went rolling onto one side, sliding a fair distance and sending up a large plume of brown-red dust as it went. When it finally came to rest the cab it had been pursuing was far ahead of it, speeding through the tunnel with reckless abandon.  
Satisfied that both pursuing rovers had been taken care of, Kynarus turned around to face the front of the vehicle. Katherine had lowered her pistol, keeping it rested on one thigh. She nudged Benny in the side, noticing that he was still flooring the pedal and pushing the cab's engines to their limit.

"You can slow down," Katherine said, "they're gone."

Benny immediately hit the brakes, the tyres skidding along the dirt and coming to rest before another set of roadwork signs. He turned around and glared at Katherine and then Bradley, finally resting his eyes on Kynarus for a moment and regarding the three of them with obvious dislike.

"I could have been killed!" He shouted, "All because of you three!" He looked at Katherine again, seeming to think she was responsible for it all. "You look just like that chick on the news reports…"

Before he could finish Katherine brought up her pistol and sent the butt of it smashing into his face. Benny slumped back into his seat, looking surprisingly peaceful in his unconscious state. Now that he was shut-up for a while Kynarus could gather his thoughts, seeing that they were no longer getting shot at.

"You want to walk from here?" Kynarus asked. He felt a little safer now that they weren't getting chased although he was keeping himself alert, knowing full well that the MCA was probably all over the colony searching for them by now. It would be only a matter of time before more officers showed up.

"I know just where to go," Bradley said, pushing open his door and stepping out. He checked the magazine of his shotgun as he stepped out into the cool air of the tunnel, frowning when he saw that he only had a few shells left.

Kynarus realized that he would have to put his trust into Bradley Hernandez for now since it looked like he was the one with the know-how to get them off of Mars. He exchanged looks with Katherine who seemed to be thinking the same thing as him, not at all confident in placing her trust into someone she barely knew. They would have to do it otherwise they wouldn't stand much of a chance of getting off of Mars.

"Let's get moving, you two!" Bradley said, commenting on the inaction of the pair, "Come on, up and at them!"

Kynarus reluctantly climbed out of the rover, stretching his legs and breathing in the cool air of the tunnel. He felt somewhat better being out of the smelly interior of the cab but he also felt a little insecure now that he was no longer armed. Katherine climbed out of the rover as well and stood by his side while Bradley looked around the tunnel, pointing past the roadwork signs which lead to an opening ahead. Beyond the opening looked to be one of the larger tunnels, a few pedestrians wandering past as he pointed.

"We'll be off of this shithole in no time," he said confidently, "just follow me."

Without much choice and somewhat reluctantly Kynarus and Katherine started following Bradley. Wherever he was taking them would probably be better than these tunnels. The one thing Kynarus was looking forward to though was the fact that he might be getting off of this planet this very day. He couldn't help but feel pleased with himself for having made it this far, remembering the words of his brother, Garrus, who had said he might end up dead on this last assignment.

_I'm not dead yet brother,_ Kynarus thought with a smile, _and I'm going to make sure I don't end up dead. That way I can prove you wrong so the next time we meet I'll be able to rub it in your face._


	32. Identity Change

**Location: **Lowell City colony, Mars

The morning wore on through the colony and people had begun to emerge from their apartments, opening stores and going about their daily business. Those that had been working through the night, mostly the criminal types, had begun to retreat to back-alleys and forgotten corners of the colony to continue whatever they may be doing. It was very likely something illegal but the Mars Colonial Authority wasn't around to stop them, not that it cared much about such "petty" crimes such as selling drugs and guns.

The cavern here was large and supported by metal pylons set in the walls, large sets of lights set into the ceilings above. Windows lined the ceiling, thick and dirtied but supplied ample amounts of light into the cavern. They were tinted to keep out the main extent of the sun's UV rays so sunburn was a particularly rare occurrence here inside the colony. The lights were understandably off, not needed at this time of day. They would come on once the sun was down, brightening the colony to some extent but dimming as the night went on in order to simulate a proper nightfall.

This particular street was lined with storefronts and apartment complexes, a few side-streets winding off of the main road and towards more apartment complexes. Pedestrians of all shapes and sizes and in varying outfits wandered around, going about their own business. Some congregated around newsstands like moths to a flame, watching the news-vids with curiosity as the local and galactic news was reported on the many vid-screens on the stands. It seemed a lot had been happened in the galaxy recently, enough to overshadow the once prominent reports of a turian male and human female who had, according to reporters, "gone on the rampage" through the colony. Now the news was focused on general galactic events, occasionally broken by some commercials and MCA promotional material. The promotional material was reassuring citizens that they were safe here in the colony, protected by the self-proclaimed "best" law enforcement agency in the system: the Mars Colonial Authority. Of course, they failed to mention the high amounts of crimes that occurred in the colony and their lack of action to help decrease these occurrences. It was typical ignorance, something which tended to happen when incompetent people were put in charge of something.

Since nearly all of the population of Mars was human the news seemed to focus more on human-related news, mentioning some recent trouble at Noveria, some distant planet run by the galaxy's biggest corporations. Strangely enough, the Zahni Corporation didn't seem to have much of an interest there.

One of the stores was a computer specialist, shelves in the front windows displaying the latest in computer technology. Oddly enough it was the one shop on the street that wasn't full of customers although it became obvious after a while that the people of Mars weren't too into technology. Regardless the shop kept its doors open, probably all the way through till the end of its business hours. Business would have to be reasonable if it was still running, looking to have been where it is for some time.

On the corner was a typical human "fast-food" restaurant, places which sold fatty and unhealthy foods but seemed to get excellent business. It was impossible to see why but Kynarus had always found humans to be a bit careless with their own wellbeing, able to see through the restaurant's windows that it was almost full of people.

Kynarus had been sitting on a metal bench across the street from the computer store and for once had been able to take in the colony close-up. He could see it was typical of human settlements, somewhat grungy and full of consumerism judging from the sheer amounts of shops he could see here. Advertisement banners flashed commercials from the sides of buildings, advertising such things as foods and the latest in human fashions. There was a sidewalk but no actual tarmac for the road next to it; instead it was just the brown-red dirt that was so common to this planet. It had tinged the sidewalk its brown-red colour and seemed to be clinging to the clothing of the people here, giving a rather dirty look to the streets. No wonder everyone here seemed so sullen: they had to put up with red dust that clung to everything.

Kynarus was by himself on the bench, patiently waiting for Bradley to return from the computer store across the street. Katherine had gone to get something to eat a few minutes before, leaving the young turian to sit by himself and more or less twiddle his thumbs. He hadn't been doing that exactly but he had been contemplating the idea, just for old time's sake.

From the tunnel where they had lost their MCA pursuers, Kynarus and Katherine had followed Bradley out into the streets of one of the more populated parts of the colony. He assured Kynarus and Katherine that the very man they would need to help them get off of Mars owned a computer shop, this shop being the very one that was across the street. Apparently he would be able to forge them new identities or something else along those lines and according to Bradley this man owned him a favour.

So Kynarus sat, deep in his own thoughts and watching as people wandered past. Some glanced at him as they wandered past but otherwise everyone else was concentrating on their own business to worry about a turian who may or may not be the one wanted by the MCA.

Kynarus was still unarmed; something which he didn't really like but knew he would have to put up with it for a while. He preferred to keep a weapon by his side whenever possible, having learned from past mistakes during his years as a mercenary that being unarmed was always asking for something to happen to you. He had been stupid enough to leave his pistol back at the hotel, the very hotel he and Katherine had been forced to shoot up just to escape the clutches of the MCA. Bradley was more or less tagging along, a thought that Kynarus hadn't been too happy with until he had seen just how helpful this human might be. As long as he didn't start hitting on Katherine and Bradley could tag along with them as much as he wanted to, it was his own ass he was putting on the line anyway. However, if he even tried anything with Katherine (and Bradley seemed the type to try) Kynarus would be sure to promptly teach him a lesson.

Kynarus took a moment to quickly investigate each of the wounds he had received since he had first accepted the assignment from Colonel Sommers back on the Citadel. That had been a few weeks ago, these weeks having passed by so quickly seeing as he had only spent a few days on each planet (or station) he had been to. First it had been a few days on Talerian, followed by a few on the Citadel and now a few more on Mars. He was certainly getting around; probably going to more places in a month than he normally would in six months.

If all went to plan he would end up in the human city of Buenos Aires, located on the human home-world of Earth. He had no idea what the city was like although he had heard that most major human cities on Earth were massive megatropolises, filled with towering skyscrapers and with dark, polluted skies. He had never really read much about Earth, he had never needed to go there before so he had just assumed it was like most of the human-founded colonies he had been to.

The Mars colony, known as "Lowell City" officially, seemed to be one of the least successful colonies the humans had setup. It was dirty, crime-ridden and run by a corrupt organization. The settlement on Talerian had been far better, even if it had been dirty and full of dilapidated buildings. It was definitely a far cry from the conditions here in Lowell City. Kynarus couldn't wait to get off of this planet; the brown-red colour was beginning to get on his nerves. This was especially more so when it came to the dust that floated around, staining things red and clinging itself to anything it could. Already some had stuck to his armour and he brushed it off haphazardly, preferring to not look like he had just fallen into the dirt.

The first wound Kynarus could recall ever since that first meeting with Colonel Sommers had been when he had ended up taking a bullet in the left thigh, getting it when he had confronted that room full of Zahni Corporation officers back on the Citadel. Then he had been armed with a shotgun and hadn't had a shirt on, having just broken free of the chains Dieter had hung him on. Managing a look at his thigh now it seemed that injury was healing up slowly, barely hurting when Kynarus prodded a finger into it.

Next had been when Colonel Sommers had blown off the middle finger of his right hand. That still throbbed dully but was barely noticeable now, Kynarus taking a close look at the stump he had in place of the middle finger. He tried waggling it, watching it move slightly while his other finger and thumb on that hand moved normally.

He was so intent on watching the movements of his fingers that he didn't notice Katherine approach from one side, something wrapped in paper held in one hand as she stepped towards the bench. She stopped and watched him with a smile as he watched his fingers; trying to find the full extent his stump of a middle finger could be moved. He did look up finally, putting his right hand down and looking only slightly embarrassed. He saw the paper-wrapped object and was able to smell what it was, some sort of fried food that began to make him feel hungry. Of course, he knew just like any other turian that most human food had the potential to make him throw up.

"What are you doing?" Katherine asked, raising an eyebrow and keeping her grin.

Kynarus shrugged, flexing his knuckles while he did so and hearing them crack satisfactorily save for the ones that had been in his missing finger.

"I'm not too sure myself," Kynarus replied as Katherine sat down next to him. She took off the wrapping of the fried food, revealing it to be some sort of meet in between two bread buns. She bit into it, chewed slowly and swallowed all while trying to figure out if it was any good or not.

"What's that?" Kynarus asked, curious.

She paused, swallowing again so that she wouldn't be speaking with food in her mouth.

"Bacon and egg," she replied, "you want some?"

Kynarus shook his head, seeing that she was genuine in her offer. He knew that eating something like what she was having would just make him feel sick, not an unfamiliar occurrence to him but definitely inconvenient.

"No thanks," Kynarus replied.

Katherine simply took his answer for what it was worth and took another bite of the sandwich, chewing thoroughly and swallowing before she spoke again.

"Has Bradley come out yet?" She asked.

Kynarus shook his head again. There had been no sign of Bradley ever since he had entered the computer shop just over ten minutes earlier. Whoever he was going to meet was certainly keeping him; Kynarus thought he would have been out by now. He was curious about what services the man Bradley had gone to see actually provided although it was safe to assume that he was more than a computer salesman.

"No, he hasn't," Kynarus answered, "I don't know what could be possibly keeping him for this long."

"He'll be out soon enough," she said optimistically. She paused before adding, "At least, I think he will be. He does seem the type who doesn't know when to stop talking."

Kynarus nodded, he could only agree with this. All through their walk here Bradley hadn't stopped talking, rambling on about his life in general and recent things he had done. Most of it wasn't worth listening to and some of it was definitely stuff Bradley had made up, cracking bad jokes with his anecdotes like there was no tomorrow. Both Kynarus and Katherine had told him to shut up numerous times but it didn't seem to work, only helping to add more fuel to his already burning conversational fire.

"We could be out here for hours," Kynarus said, realizing the extent of the situation. He didn't want to leave in case Bradley did come out with important news, nor did he want to stay because he was already bored enough as it is.

"That'll give us plenty of time to talk, then," Katherine said, biting again from her sandwich and swallowing her food before speaking again, "it'll help pass the time."

Kynarus had always enjoyed talking with Katherine, remembering the first time they had back in the clinic on Talerian. That had only been the start of their relationship although neither had thought of that back then. Even so, Kynarus had always found himself attracted to Katherine despite their obvious differences (species was the main one). Even when he had first seen her, from his vantage point in the window of one of the warehouses overlooking the courtyard where Katherine had met Dieter, Kynarus had had the feeling then that maybe he could bring himself to like the human. Now he didn't only like her, he loved her.

"You know, I've been thinking," Katherine said, finishing off the last of her sandwich and dropping the paper wrapping to the ground near her without much thought about it, "about you and I." Her tone changed to a more solemn one, the uncertainty obvious in her voice.

Kynarus turned to her, suddenly finding that he was concerned. He didn't like it when she was like this since she not only felt doubt herself but she also helped fuel his own doubts about their situation. The last thing he needed was second-thoughts about going after Dieter. They were probably going to save the galaxy, after all. Or, at the very least, remove one of the most dangerous people in the galaxy.

"What about us?" Kynarus asked. He suddenly had the thought that maybe Katherine didn't like their prospects since human and turian relationships were unheard of. What if their story got on the news? Not only would it be somewhat embarrassing but they would have people talking behind their backs and hurling insults at them wherever they went.

"I'm not too sure what we should do when this is all over," Katherine said, looking towards him with a thoughtful expression, "for instance, where are we going to go?"

"Where do you want to go?"  
She shrugged, not too sure about her answer to this question. Kynarus wasn't too sure himself although he did have a good idea and promptly spoke it out loud to see what Katherine thought of it.

"How about somewhere quiet…remote maybe?" Kynarus suggested, losing the doubt from his voice. He was relieved to find she wasn't concerned about how people would react to the two of them when they found out. This was probably the last thing that was on her mind and Kynarus decided to put it at the back of his mind as well.

"I'm sure there are plenty of places we could go," Kynarus said, "it's just a matter of finding them."

Katherine nodded, obviously agreeing entirely. Their eyes met, Kynarus feeling his heart jump a beat when this happened. He found himself putting a hand to her face, caressing a cheek gently. She took his hand in both of hers and took a close look at the stump he had for a middle finger, still a little curious as to the origin of the wound.

"It'll be just the two of us," Kynarus said quietly, feeling her let go of his right hand. None of the pedestrians passing by took notice of what they were doing, not at all interested in how close this turian and human were getting.

"We have to get through this alive first," Katherine said suddenly. Kynarus nodded, he knew this was the one thing he was afraid of. What if one of them ended up dead? How would the other one react? Kynarus knew he wouldn't be able to keep going if Katherine was killed and somewhere at the back of his mind was the realization that it was very likely both of them would get killed.

"We'll get through," Kynarus said, his voice faltering and betraying the truth he knew of. He was only saying what he thought would make himself and Katherine feel better but it definitely wasn't working. They both fell silent, Kynarus sitting back in the bench and eyeing one of the nearby newsstands briefly, relieved to see that his mug-shot wasn't plastered on the screens there. It had been before but it seemed the news was shifting away from his and Katherine's "crimes" to more important manners. Perhaps the MCA had decided to keep such incidents concerning the two of them quiet and covered up since it would certainly be bad publicity for them. If they couldn't stop two criminals than how could they possibly keep the population of the colony under control?

"Bullshit," Katherine said bluntly and resignedly, "you and I both know that chances are we'll end up dead by the time this is over. I know it's not exactly being optimistic but the odds are against us…"  
"They have been before," Kynarus said reassuringly, surprised at Katherine's rather bleak attitude and outlook on their success. She was the realist type though so it was understandable that she seemed a bit doubtful now.

"I guess you're right," Katherine said with a solemn grin, "besides, I just want to get to Earth and bury Dieter. He's been a fucking nuisance ever since I got involved with this business. Don't you think so?"

Kynarus nodded. Dieter was, after all, the very man who had at first wanted the package for his own ends and then ordered his men to capture or kill Kynarus and Katherine. Then he had changed his mind and instead used the both of them in his plan to break Schraeder out of prison, followed by him changing his mind again. Dieter was also definitely unstable mentally, judging from his mood swings and ruthless nature. Kynarus and Katherine would probably be doing the galaxy a service by killing him.

"What about this Schraeder guy?" Katherine asked, "What's the deal with him? Is he someone else we should get rid of?"

Kynarus wasn't too sure about Schraeder. He did know that it would be best to get rid of him as well since from what he had been hearing, Schraeder was in fact Dieter's former boss. If they wanted to cripple the nefarious Zahni Corporation then they would have to eliminate both Dieter and Schraeder otherwise one could easily take the place of the other.

Kynarus, however, found Schraeder actually sort of made him uneasy. The way the man knew about his past without ever even knowing of his existence prior to meeting him was a bit unnerving, coupled with the fact that he had been in the dream Kynarus had had while asleep on board the Corporation drop-ship. Schraeder had been in it, saying the very same thing he had been when Kynarus had woken up and found Schraeder asleep as well, muttering it in his unconsciousness. This was more than enough to make him wary of the man and what he might be capable of.

"We'll be better off killing him as well," Kynarus said, "That guy gives me the creeps."

"Really?" Katherine raised an eyebrow, curious to hear more about the human that gave Kynarus the creeps. The turian wasn't about to say much else, he had the feeling that Katherine would do better than to have thoughts about Schraeder's "abilities" causing doubt in her mind. Kynarus was already doubting the whole idea of going up against him but part of his mind was telling him he had to do it. It was the same part of his mind that told him he would be saving the galaxy if he did kill Dieter and Schraeder.

"He's just…strange," Kynarus said, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind of these thoughts about Schraeder, "besides, he's with Dieter. He must be worth taking down."

Katherine seemed to agree and sat back in the bench, taking a look around at the street and shopfronts around them. She didn't seem too concerned about the brown-red dust that was clinging to her black tight-fitting trousers. Instead, her gaze was concentrated towards the computer shop across the road, waiting for Bradley to come out. Hopefully he would come out with some important news and get them one step closer to escaping Mars.

The pair was quiet for a moment, both of them falling deep into their own thoughts briefly. They were both trying their best to keep optimistic, Kynarus finding that his mind was full of conflicting thoughts. Was it really worth going after Dieter and Schraeder? Would he end up dead if he did go after them? The odds were definitely against him and Katherine but they had been from the very first time they had met on Talerian. They were both mercenaries: the odds were usually against them in any of their assignments. That was what being a mercenary was all about: flying in the face of danger and getting paid for it.

"Where is Buenos Aires, exactly?" Kynarus asked, "And what's it like?" He had next to no clue what Buenos Aires was like, preferring to keep the usual descriptions of polluted Earth cities from his mind. It might affect his decision to go if he had a misinformed view of the city.

Katherine thought about this for a moment, racking her memory for any information on Buenos Aires. She didn't seem too sure about her facts but they were enough for Kynarus to form some sort of picture of the city in his head.

"It's on the continent known as South America, in the state of Argentina," Katherine said, "It's in the tropics so chances are it'll be hot and humid. Pollution is an issue but not as prominent as it is in other cities. The thing is Kye, the city's at the heart of the Zahni Corporation." She looked at him, seeming a little bit concerned about this fact.

"Argentina is where the Corporation started," she explained, "it's where it expanded from. I'm even quite sure the Corporation controls the city."

Kynarus had a feeling that staying in Buenos Aires would be more dangerous than he originally suspected. If it was indeed controlled by the Zahni Corporation, what was to say that the two of them wouldn't be shot upon their arrival? It was a chance they would have to take, though.

"Most people on Earth are either there for two reasons: they have jobs there or are too poor to afford the trip off-world," Katherine continued, "in other words, most of Earth's cities are poverty-stricken and filthy. At least, the poorer neighbourhoods are. There are some people with plenty of money who live in the tallest buildings…"

Kynarus could already imagine this oppressive city landscape but tried not to let his imagination run too wild seeing that neither he nor Katherine had actually been to Buenos Aires before. It would be a new experience for the both of them and hopefully it wouldn't be the last place they would visit. No, the two of them had a future together and Kynarus was determined to make sure they fulfilled that future.

"So, you still want to go?" Katherine asked. Kynarus could see she was serious about this question by the way she was waiting for him to answer. He took a moment to reply, still trying to take into account his contradicting thoughts about their situation.

"We have to," he replied, "We're the only two who are in a position to stop Dieter…"

Katherine didn't seem to be listening. Instead, her gaze was settled on the computer shop. Kynarus looked that way and saw that Bradley had stepped out, waving at them to come over. Even from this distance Kynarus could see he looked pleased, although it was impossible to work out why. Perhaps the man he had met inside had agreed to help after all.

Kynarus stood up, taking a moment to stretch his arms. Katherine had started to cross the street, inclining Kynarus to follow her across to the entrance of the computer store. Bradley was standing outside; his large drum-magazine shotgun slung over one shoulder. None of the pedestrians that walked past and saw it seemed mightily concerned about it, used to seeing armed people around the colony.

"Guess what!" Bradley exclaimed in his usual overly-excited tone, bearing his set of pearly white teeth at the same time in a broad smile, "my friend inside is going to help us get off of Mars." He paused for a moment, letting the words sink in.

Kynarus suddenly felt a little anxious, partly because he wanted to get off of the planet and partly because it meant they were one step closer to finding Dieter when they finally did get off of Mars. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? It was hard to tell.

"Just follow me," Bradley said, somewhat flustered at the lack of response he was getting from the two of them, "and let me do the talking unless, of course, he asks any of you a question. He probably will but it's best to keep your answers simple and straightforward…"  
"Why?" Katherine asked, only slightly confused.

"He's a bit paranoid," Bradley said, "I wouldn't be surprised if he strips you of any weapons you might be carrying. He let me keep mine since he trusts me…"

Kynarus and Katherine nodded, not really in much of a position to care. Bradley started into the shop, humming a tune to himself quietly. Kynarus was the first to follow him inside, followed by Katherine.

* * *

The interior of the store was a standard small business size, shelves and display cases filled with all sorts of high-tech gadgets and gizmos. Posters on the walls advertised new products and computer brands in general while an unseen radio played from somewhere nearby, filling the shop with the faint sound of typical techno-muzak.

Surprisingly enough there was someone standing behind the counter inside the store, flicking through a computer magazine and barely taking notice of the two new potential customers. He did look up as Kynarus wandered past, eyeing the turian carefully and with a hint of suspicion. Kynarus ignored him, instead he kept following Bradley as he took them through to the far back corner of the store. Here, a few "bargain bins" were filled with discount computer games, many of which were particularly low in quality judging by their covers and their cheap prices. Kynarus picked one up, noticing that it looked like another violent video game, the sort of thing that only humans would be into. He put it down, noticing that Bradley had stopped at the door nearby. He knocked on it a few times at differing forces, creating a sort of quick tune. A few seconds later the door swung open, revealing a middle-aged man dressed in a blue checkered shirt and jeans standing behind it. He regarded Bradley briefly and then looked past him at Kynarus and Katherine, eyeing the turian with the same suspicion the man at the shop counter had done so before.

The man frowned, his eyes drifting down to Kynarus' empty waist holster and then to Katherine's holster where her pistol was. He looked up at her and pointed towards the gun, shaking his head.

"Leave your guns out here," he said, "including yours this time, Bradley. I can't take any chances."  
He certainly sounded serious about it so Katherine set her pistol down on a nearby shelf, Bradley doing the same with his shotgun. After this the man stepped aside, gesturing towards the small room beyond. The group took a hint and stepped inside, the man shutting the door behind them and bolting it shut with four different locks, one of which was computerised.

Inside the small back room were plenty of LED lights, giving the whole place a bright illumination. Computer monitors were set up on a table at the corner while a camera had been set up on a tripod facing a blank white wall, very likely acting as some sort of photographing area. A few cabinets were set into the walls and one of them was open, revealing a cache of differing varieties of containers, all containing different sorts of pills.

Kynarus realized this man, whatever his name was, ran a forgery business in the back of the computer shop. He was probably the owner of the shop anyway and perhaps this was how he made the main extent of his income since it was likely the computer business wasn't exactly booming right now. The emptiness of the shop had proven that so this man made his money by forging new identities for people. He must have been quite the expert since most forgers didn't have much in the way of equipment. This guy, however, seemed to have it all.

The man, or forger, stepped over to the bank of computer monitors and typed something into one. The screen changed to a blank one with lines of text running down it, probably code for whatever he was intending on doing. Satisfied that it was ready to be worked with he turned around and looked at the three new customers before him. Bradley had pulled out a chair and set himself down on it, spinning around a little in an immature fashion. The glare he got from the forger inclined him to stop his fooling around. Kynarus and Katherine stood waiting for the forger to speak, noticing that there were no other chairs in the room.

"So, you finally came for my services Bradley," the forger said, glancing over at Bradley. "I thought you'd want to get off of this rock one day. I know I would want to in your position."

"Well Davis, I'm here," Bradley said, "how about you just get on with it? Time's of the essence, as they say."  
The forger, Davis was probably his name from what Kynarus figured from the brief exchange between him and Bradley, frowned slightly and turned to Katherine. He seemed to take in her appearance before turning to Kynarus and doing the same, probably thinking of how he could possibly help the two of them. He pointed at Kynarus, seeming to remember the turian from somewhere.

"You would have to be that turian that's been all over the news," Davis said, "the one that caused all that shit on Talerian and now here. Well, I had a feeling you might come by if you knew what was good for you. I have everything I need to make you a new person…or turian…or whatever you call yourselves…" He trailed off, pausing to think momentarily. "Perhaps you would like to ask me some questions? I know most of my customers have doubts about the process but I promise, it won't hurt."  
Kynarus didn't like Davis too much, he seemed shifty, rat-like even. He was the type of person the turian would have difficulties trusting, even if his services would be beneficial.

"So, how do you intend on getting us off of Mars?" Kynarus asked, "We're wanted by the MCA. I doubt they're just going to let us leave."

Davis shrugged, stepping over to one of the cabinets and pulling it open. He removed a small plastic bag from inside, dumping it onto a nearby metal table and then removing a few small plastic containers from the same cabinet. He regarded Katherine briefly, thinking through what he was going to do.

"Well, it's not my fault you're in this position," Davis said with a chuckle, "but now that you are, it means more money for me. Anyway, it's a simple enough process: I change your appearances, put your falsified details into the MCA's systems and you'll be able to wander around freely for a while before the MCA purges its databases of any falsified records."  
"Uh…right…" Kynarus didn't like the blasé attitude of Davis; he seemed a bit too casual for someone who would be changing someone else's appearance. He did decide to take the human's word though, deciding it was best not to argue about his methods. Katherine thought otherwise, though.

"Won't they find the false records when they do their next purge?" Katherine asked, frowning. She had been expecting a rather delayed response from Davis, having expected him to have the whole operation poorly planned. Instead he simply laughed at her, as if he found it amusing that she had even considered doubting his intelligence.

"If I was that damn stupid I would have been thrown into prison years ago," he replied, "so you shouldn't go doubting my methods like that. You are obviously unaware that I'm in the best in the business here on Mars…" Davis gave a self-priding smile towards Katherine. She frowned, doubtful about Davis' authenticity but she didn't voice her uncertainties. She just let him keep talking.

"The MCA purges the databases every seven to eight hours," Davis said, "what I do to avoid getting found out is place a simple line of code within the files I plant into the systems. This line of code keeps track of scheduled purge times and erases every trace of the falsified records ten minutes before a purge. That way, when the MCA is looking for anything suspicious they can't find any trace of what I put on their systems. I mean, seriously, how good am I?"

"Do you mind getting on with it?" Kynarus asked, growing impatient, "I've spent enough time on this planet to hate it already."

Davis nodded understandably, probably agreeing with Kynarus' perceptions about the red planet. It was a barren wasteland, why anyone would want to live here was beyond him. Sure, some had to work here, especially if they were one of the scientists working over in the Prothean ruins. Why anyone would live here on their own accord was puzzling but perhaps most of the civilians here had descended from the original settlers. Those original settlers would have arrived here long before humans even made it outside of their own solar system.

"Well, sure, I'll get on with it," Davis said, turning to Bradley. Bradley seemed to be smiling much to Davis' content.

"This would usually cost you," Davis told Bradley, "but since I owe you a favour I suppose I can help the three of you out for nothing. That doesn't mean I have to like it, though…"

"It's not like I would have paid you anyway," Bradley added, receiving an annoyed look from Davis. This exchange didn't last very long, Davis seeming to forget about his discontent at helping the three of them out for free and turning to the bag he had placed on his desk. He reached in and removed a comb and a pair of scissors, turning around and eyeing Katherine.

"Okay, I'll start with you," he said, stepping over to her. Kynarus watched with some apprehension as he guided her to the seat by the wall. Davis began to hum to himself as he started cutting her hair, untying the ponytail she had and letting her light brown hair fall upon her shoulders.

"Right," Davis said, setting to work, "just sit still and I'll have you looking like a new person in five minutes." He glanced over at Bradley briefly, nodding towards one of the closed cabinets. "Bradley, how about you get to work on changing your looks?"

Bradley nodded and got out of his seat, stepping over to the closed cabinet Davis had indicated and opening it. He rummaged through the contents, pushing aside all manner of wigs and toupees before finally stepping back from the cabinet holding a fake moustache.

Kynarus was too busy to notice Bradley's actions, concentrating on Katherine instead. He didn't like the way Davis seemed to be extending her haircut, taking care to feel through her hair with his fingers as he cut parts off. Maybe Kynarus was just being paranoid or he did genuinely see some attraction in the man's eyes. He clenched his one good hand into a fist but realized that maybe he was just overreacting. Human males were always like that, eyeing any decent young female they could find with some obvious liking towards them.

Kynarus wasn't too sure how he would be changing his appearance. He was a turian after all, he didn't have hair to cut or fake moustaches to put on. Whatever Davis figured out for him better be convincing. The last thing Kynarus wanted was to get held up in the departure land by some MCA officers just because he was a turian.

Davis finished cutting Katherine's hair, having left it in a way so that it was short and half as long as it used to be. It gave her a ragged, sort of no-nonsense look. This was especially more so when some strands fell across her forehead which she pushed off to one side. She looked towards Kynarus with a smile, taking the way he was looking at her as a sign that he liked her better that way.

Bradley, meanwhile, had stuck the fake moustache just below his nose. It didn't at all suit him, the big brown moustache reminding Kynarus of a small furry animal. He kept in his laughter though, watching as Bradley turned around to show Davis.

"How do I look?" He asked.

Davis took one look at him and shook his head. Bradley's face fell in response.

"You're going to need more than just that," he said, stepping over to his desk and wiping his hands of the little pieces of hair that had gathered on them during the haircut. He retrieved a container of pills from an open cabinet, throwing them to Katherine. She caught them and looked at the label carefully.

"Take two of those," Davis instructed her, "they'll add to your new look."  
"Tanning pills?" She asked uncertainly, popping open the cap on the container and putting two of the capsules onto her open hand. She swallowed them with some reluctance, not looking forward to whatever new tone of skin awaited her.

"Don't worry, they only last about twelve hours," Davis said, "so you'll be back to your old self soon enough." He looked at Kynarus, taking a moment to figure out what he should do with him. Kynarus didn't like the prospect of changing his appearance but knew he would have to do it if he wanted to get off of Mars without getting any attention.

"You, my turian friend, are going to need a convincing change of appearance," Davis said.

"What about my new identity?" Bradley asked, fingering the fake moustache he was wearing and feeling its furriness carefully, "what will my new name be?"

Davis shrugged.  
"Think of one," he said simply.

"John Smith!" Bradley exclaimed. Davis rolled his eyes but otherwise didn't say anything in response, simply choosing to go along with what his friend had suggested. He turned to Katherine, thinking for a moment.

"What about you?" He asked.

"What?" Katherine looked up, having not been listening.

"What do you want your new name to be?" Davis asked, "after all, I do have to set up your files and ID cards…"

"Oh…uh…I don't know…" Katherine thought about her response but was unable to come up with a proper answer, simply shrugging instead.

Davis took a few seconds to think of one on the spot.

"Jessica Forsell sounds good enough," he said. He turned to Kynarus, taking a moment to think of one.

"How does Keliarus Ste'Lihn sound?" Davis said, having obviously come up with the name on the spot.

"Ah…yeah, sounds fine…" Kynarus said. He was surprised; Davis seemed to have come up with a convincing turian name without very much thought about it. Perhaps he had dealt with turians before, it certainly was possible.

Davis stepped over to one of the cabinets, removing a jar of what looked to be black face-paint. He handed it to Kynarus who took a moment to realize what it was for. He remembered how the facial markings he had spent so much time putting onto his faces, dark-blue in colour, had since faded due to his lack of maintenance of them.

"That's a little something left over from one of my previous turian clients," Davis explained, "give yourself some pretty facial markings and I can start taking photos for your ID cards."

Kynarus nodded, finding a mirror set onto the far wall and stepping in front of it. He had never cared too much for respecting his ancestors by bearing the colours of his tribe, he just did it because his father had made him during his younger years and thus had had continued doing it throughout his life because he had felt obligated to. The recent amount of activity he had been in hadn't allowed for him to reapply his usual look and so he seized this chance to make something new, taking his time to apply some rather intricate markings to the side of his face. His skin tone was naturally a dull blue, much like his brother and father had been. The black paint suited him nicely; Kynarus taking care to make sure each marking was flawless and matched his features appropriately. When he was done he turned around from the mirror, getting Katherine's attention. She regarded him briefly.

"You remind me of a zebra," she said, smiling.

"What's a zebra?" Kynarus asked. Before Katherine could answer Davis chimed in, his voice impatient.

"Come on, let's hurry up," he said, "We haven't got all day. I still have to take your ID photos, remember?"

The next five minutes was spent trying to organize the photos, Katherine getting hers done first once her skin had darkened. Kynarus didn't mind her new hair but her darker skin tone sort of threw him off. He was pleased to know that she wouldn't be looking like that for too long.

Bradley had his taken next, managing an idiotic smile for the camera. He hadn't changed his looks very much, having combed his hair so that it was parted in a different way to usual. The fake moustache was the only new feature he had although he would easily pass as a different person, especially when his falsified records showed up when they scanned their ID cards through the machines at any of the spaceports.

Once Kynarus' picture was taken Davis sent the photos to his main computer, printing off three brand new (and real looking) ID cards, one for each of them. Once they had been handed out he began typing away at the computer for the next half an hour, creating their falsified records. Bradley, as John Smith, was listed as "engaged" to Katherine, who was now officially known as "Jessica Forsell". Kynarus was their turian friend, now officially known as "Keliarus Ste'Lihn". He didn't like the fact that Katherine and Bradley were officially engaged but he felt somewhat eased by the fact it was all just a charade that would be over once they reached Earth.

When their files were safely in the MCA databases Davis was kind enough to book them a ticket each for the next flight to Buenos Aires, due to depart in two hours.

"Why Buenos Aires?" Bradley asked. Kynarus realized that Bradley didn't know about his and Katherine's situation in its entirety.

"I'll tell you on the flight," Kynarus replied. Bradley didn't seem too bothered by the fact that he would be going to South America; rather he seemed quite happy about it. It was probably because he would be getting off of Mars for once.

Before the three of them left for the spaceport, Davis managed a few last notes about their new identities. It was also when Kynarus suddenly started having doubts about the whole exercise.

"You have to realize that these new identities will only get you off of Mars," Davis explained, his voice taking on a more serious tone, "by the time you're in Buenos Aires all traces of your new identities will be gone. You'll have to figure out a way to escape Customs when you get there, otherwise the three of you are just going to get arrested…"

"We'll figure out something," Bradley said confidently, "don't you worry."

Kynarus knew they didn't have any other choice but to go through with the plan. They had come this far, why back out now? He just didn't like the think about what would happen when they finally arrived in Buenos Aires. He did admire Bradley's confidence though and knew that he had been in far tougher spots than this.

"Good luck," Davis said as the three of them departed. Kynarus knew that he and Katherine would need all the luck they could get, seeing as they were about to go against one of the most powerful corporations in the galaxy. He wasn't too sure what Bradley would do and whether he would tag along, he would provide some extra help even if he was a bit annoying.

Within the next twenty-four hours the three of them would be in Buenos Aires and they would be one step closer to tracking down Dieter. Whether that was a good or a bad thing was something which had been bugging Kynarus ever since he had agreed to see this whole thing through. Only time would tell in the end, though.


	33. Spaceport

**Location:** Lowell City colony, Mars

"Colonel, glad you actually showed up!" The Administrator looked up from the work he was doing at his desk, frowning angrily as he watched Colonel Sommers enter his office. Strangely enough the Colonel was looking rather casual for such an important and urgent matter, one which had annoyed Administrator Roland Derrighan enough to make some of his hairs turn grey. Not that they weren't already going grey, it was just that a few more had started doing it. He didn't like it one bit since it made him look old.

Colonel Tiberius Sommers simply stopped a metre or so from the front of the Administrator's desk, giving a passive glance towards the agitated colony ruler. He had never really liked the Administrator and realized again why that was the case. The Administrator was a very hard man to like, pushy and self-centred as well as ruling the Lowell City colony without taking the interests of the civilians into account. He was the type of ignorant politician that Cerberus was trying to get rid of; it was just that this phase of their master plan hadn't been enacted yet. They still had a long way to go before they could remove who they wanted from positions of power.

About an hour earlier the Colonel had received a call from the Administrator concerning something the Colonel would have preferred to keep at the back of his mind. It was about that turian, Kynarus Vakarian, and his human friend Katherine Tyler. It seemed that they were causing trouble again, as usual. The Mars Colonial Authority had put the two of them onto their "most wanted" list, more because Kynarus Vakarian was responsible for killing so many of their offices than for any other reason. Katherine was in trouble just because she was involved with the troublemaking turian.

Of course, it would take more than just a couple of outlaws to make the discontented public of the colony care. So far the MCA's bid for information on the pair of outlaws had gone unanswered save for the few calls they had received concerning where the turian and Katherine had taken up residence. The Colonel had felt relieved to have handed over the problem of getting rid of Vakarian and Tyler to the MCA, preferring to concentrate on getting rid of the Zahni Corporation instead. Now it seemed the Administrator was trying his best to rope the Colonel right back into the matter, having called him to organize an urgent meeting. The Administrator didn't look happy, his rough and aged features creased into a dislikeable frown.

The Colonel took a moment to look around the Administrator's office, noticing that the die-cast metal model of a space shuttle was back on the desk in its original position after the fall it had received during the pair's last meeting. The tank full of water and goldfish was still in its usual place although the vista through the window was of a brightly illuminated Martian landscape, the sun gradually climbing its way across the sky. It was only late morning and not even midday, there were still plenty of daylight hours to go before nightfall.

The Administrator gathered up a stack of papers from his desk, straightened them and shifted them over to one side so that they were out of his way. He didn't seem to like the callous demeanour of the Colonel and so made his dislike of this clear when he spoke again.

"What? You're sick of Mars already?" The Administrator asked, "It seems all you newcomers get fed up with this planet after a while."  
The Colonel raised an eyebrow, indicating some interest in what the Administrator had to say. Of course, the Colonel couldn't care less about whatever problems the Administrator was having. He was the one supposed to be running the colony after all, not the Colonel. It appeared that maybe the Administrator wanted help since his MCA goons obviously couldn't do their job well enough.

One thing the Administrator probably didn't know was how much control Cerberus actually had over him. If the Colonel felt like it, and he was already in a bad enough mood after the talk with the Illusive Man to probably do it, he could easily take control of the colony himself. He could bring the will of Cerberus upon the Administrator and the man would have no option but t give in, unless he wanted to get shot or something.

The conversation the Colonel had had with the Illusive Man had left Sommers in a particularly bad mood. He was too used to keeping a passive, near emotionless look but deep down he was angry. He was angry at himself, at the Administrator, at the MCA, at Kynarus Vakarian and at Katherine Tyler…he was close to becoming angry with the entire universe in general. The one thing he didn't really want to put up with right now was a talk with the Administrator but he had come anyway, just in the hopes that he could give the Administrator a stern yelling at. It just depended on whether the Administrator was going to waste his time or not.

"Mars is the kind of place you have to get used to," the Administrator said, "I have and look where I am now! I'm in charge of the entire planet, for Christ's sake…"  
"Did you ask me to come here just so you could waste my time?" The Colonel asked, narrowing his eyes towards the Administrator. He saw the Administrator tense up a little, able to sense the Colonel's now obvious annoyance. The Administrator swallowed and began talking again in a more subdued but serious manner.

"I asked you to come here because of a bit of a problem I and my associates have," the Administrator said, "it seems that ever since you showed up, Colonel, things have begun to fall apart within the colony."

"What do you mean?" The Colonel didn't like the sound of getting blamed for all the wrongs that had fallen upon the colony but he decided to humour the Administrator and see where it got him.

"I'm referring to that turian," the Administrator said, frowning again, "Vakarian or whatever the hell his name is. He's caused far too much trouble and it just looks to me that he's supposed to be your problem. Instead, you came here yesterday and set the problem of getting rid of him on my shoulders." The Administrator shook his head and the Colonel wasn't too sure whether it was in pity or annoyance. He certainly didn't like where this conversation was going but didn't say anything, preferring to let the Administrator continue with whatever he had to say.

"He was Cerberus' problem at first, wasn't he?" The Administrator said, seeing that he was onto a good point, "and when you couldn't get him Colonel, you decided to set the job of killing the turian to me and my organization." The Administrator paused for effect. It would have been the best time for the Colonel to interject but he didn't, deciding to let the Administrator continue. However, deep down the Colonel could feel a rage slowly building inside him. He already had enough on his mind to do with the Illusive Man's threat of demotion and humiliation as well as the success Hermann Holst will have in finding Dieter. Now it seemed the Administrator had simply called him into his office to criticise Cerberus, something which the Colonel didn't particularly like.

"I thought you Cerberus types were meant to be good at your job?" The Administrator asked, managing a wry smile that sent a wave of anger through the Colonel, "instead you seem unable to get rid of one turian, as well as that woman he always seems to hang around with."

The Colonel took a deep breath and gave the Administrator a stern look, one that said it all. He showed the Administrator just how furious he was in this look and immediately saw the Administrator back off slightly, if only slightly.

"Just in case you failed to notice, Administrator," the Colonel said through clenched teeth, his voice laced with venom, "your MCA goons haven't exactly been successful either. You failed to get Dieter or the turian at the spaceport and your goons failed during their raid on that hotel in Venusville. I'm beginning to think you've called me here just to criticise me and my organization to make _you_ feel better."

The Administrator looked annoyed at this remark and the Colonel saw him falter a little more but it was obvious he wasn't about to back down. No, the Administrator wasn't the type who backed down easily.

"No Colonel, I'm just voicing the truths about our situation," the Administrator said, "and I'm saying that perhaps you Cerberus types should just leave me and my organization alone. You've already ruined our public image and made everyone think we're incompetent fools who can't apprehend a pair of criminals who are right in our colony. I'm suggesting you leave, Colonel, before you do anymore damage."

The Administrator looked thoughtfully towards the Colonel, putting a hand towards a pen that was lying on his desk and picking it up. He started to fiddle with it, the Colonel sensing some anxiety in the way the Administrator was fidgeting like this. Perhaps he was more afraid of what the Colonel might do in response to such a request.

Of course, the Administrator had no idea just how deep Cerberus' involvement with the colony went. He was their puppet, controlled from behind the scenes and made to do what Cerberus wanted him to do. It was part of the plan to bring Mars and its buried treasures (such as the Prothean ruins) under Cerberus' complete control: they would make their Administrator their puppet without him even realizing it. If he was half as intelligent as he thought he was he might have already found out that half of his officials were agents Cerberus had planted after the death of the last Administrator.

The Colonel let the Administrator's words sink in, taking another deep breath in response and trying to keep his already boiling over emotions under control. He had been under a lot of stress lately and he wouldn't be surprised if something like this finally sent him over the edge. However, the Colonel was an intelligent man and knew better than to lose his temper. It was getting increasingly hard to keep it contained, though.

"This is _my_ colony, Colonel," the Administrator continued, his voice reverberating through the Colonel's mind, "and I call the shots here, no one else. That's why I'm asking you and your Cerberus people to leave. Go to some other colony on some other shitty barren planet, leave us Martians alone."

The Colonel swallowed his saliva so less of it would spray out of his mouth when he spoke. Eyeing the Administrator and keeping his voice calm he finally responded to the Administrator's constant egging on. He was asking for the Colonel to lose his temper, just asking for it.

"Are you aware, Administrator, of just how much of a presence Cerberus has here on Mars?" The Colonel asked, telling himself he could do better than let some cranky middle-aged guy piss him off, "or have you been living under a rock for the past few years?"  
T  
he Administrator gave a confused look, trying to figure out what the Colonel was talking about.

"What? What are you talking about?" The Administrator still had no idea what the Colonel meant by what he was saying so the Colonel decided to push on the point a little more, knowing he now had the Administrator on the back-foot.

"You must be stupider than I first thought," the Colonel said bluntly, "you obviously have no idea about the true extent of Cerberus' control over you. That's why I think it would be wise if you stopped criticising us and started working with us."

"You're not making any sense, Colonel," the Administrator said, pointing an accusing finger towards the Colonel and frowning, "I call the shots here, not you. I am the Administrator, after all. What do you think I do? Sit in this office and do twiddle my thumbs all day long?"

There was more truth to what the Administrator was saying about what he did than he would have liked to think. If he seriously cared about the inhabitants of the colony he would have been working hard to improve living conditions. Instead he was more interested in how much money he would make from a particular asset in the colony or about whatever new findings had been made down at the Prothean ruins research site. He didn't care about the civilians of the colony, no wonder they all hated him so much.

"I'm using my power to force you and your Cerberus goons to leave this colony," the Administrator said, "maybe then some progress might be made concerning the troublemaking turian and his friend. You're organization's constant interference in MCA affairs is making my patience wear thin."

The Colonel simply smiled, happy with the knowledge that he knew something the Administrator didn't. As long as Vakarian and Tyler were on Mars then Colonel Sommers and his so-called "goons" would have to stay as well. Seeing that the MCA had so far failed to get rid of Vakarian or Tyler it seemed that the Colonel would have to stay for a little while longer. One thing though was that he wanted to leave Mars and go someplace else, somewhere that wasn't full of red dust and wasn't run by a total prick such as the Administrator.

"I want you and your men off of Mars by tomorrow morning," the Administrator said, "otherwise I'm going to have to use my officers to force you off of the planet. And I'm sure you don't want that, do you, Colonel?"

Colonel Sommers was about to reply and show the Administrator just how much more authority Cerberus had over him than he knew about when the phone on the desk rang loudly. The Administrator looked only slightly bothered by it and glanced towards the black phone, noticing that the "urgent" light was on. Knowing it was probably best to hear just how urgent the call was he flicked a switch on the phone, putting the call on speakerphone. The voice was of what sounded like some ordinary guy, probably an MCA officer.

"Ah, sir…"

"What is it?" The Administrator asked, sounding like he wasn't in much of a mood to stuff around with urgent calls. He glanced towards the Colonel who was standing where he was, checking his fingernails while he waited for the call to end.

"I just received a call from someone at one of our spaceports. Seems there's a turian there with a proper ID. Thing is, there aren't too many turians in the colony. Our man at the spaceport was thinking that maybe it's Vakarian who somehow managed himself a new identity…"

The Administrator's eyes lit up when he heard this, realizing he had the perfect chance to apprehend the turian. The Colonel, on the other hand, knew he would have to intervene soon enough if what he thought the Administrator was about to do was going to happen.

If Kynarus Vakarian was trying to get off of Mars that very likely meant he knew something. Perhaps he knew where Dieter had gone to? It would be in the best interests of Cerberus to simply tail the turian rather than to arrest him or kill him but it seemed that the Administrator wasn't thinking along the same lines. He obviously wanted Vakarian out of the way considering he had caused so much trouble.

"Just arrest the turian," the Administrator said, "and make sure he's locked up…"

"No," the Colonel said simply. The Administrator looked towards him, a surprised expression on his face.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" The Administrator asked, frowning, "I call the shots here, not you…"

"Ah, sir…" The voice on the phone sounded uncertain, as if it was aware of the conflicting interests in the office. "What do you want me to do, sir? We can get him now; he's still in the departure lounge of Spaceport 3A…"

"Colonel, are you trying to order me around?" The Administrator asked, his eyes narrowing, "because I don't think you have the authority…"

The Colonel shook his head. The Administrator was wrong about one thing and that was just how much authority the Colonel had.

"Let Vakarian go," the Colonel ordered.

"Why?"

"Why? Because he'll lead us straight to Dieter Sturlmann, that's why," the Colonel said, noticing the Administrator bristle a little. He was obviously getting on the Administrator's nerves which were all the more better, he figured.

"I can't allow the interests of your Cerberus group control my actions," the Administrator said, "like I've been saying, I call the—"

"NO YOU DON'T!" The Colonel finally exploded, slamming a fist down on the desk and making the whole thing rattle. The space shuttle model fell off of the edge again, landing with a dull _thud_ onto the floor. The Administrator had fallen silent, his eyes wide when he realized the extent of the Colonel's rage.

"You are nothing!" The Colonel exclaimed, sweeping an arm across the desk and sending papers and pens flying, "Cerberus calls the shots here on Mars, not you! You are but our mere puppet, in case you failed to notice that! So, you're going to follow _my_ orders or I will have to kill you. Do you understand?"

The Administrator took a deep breath, letting the Colonel's words sink in. They probably made more sense than he would have liked, with the knowledge that Cerberus did in fact control the colony here on Mars. The Administrator didn't like the thought of being there "puppet" but something told him he would be best to follow orders.

"Is everything alright, sir?" It was the voice on the phone again, sounding a little concerned this time. "I can hear yelling…"

The Colonel eyed the Administrator with a cold and calculating gaze, one that showed the Administrator that the Colonel was not one to be trifled with.

"Tell him what I want him to do," the Colonel said, slowly drawing out his Magnum and pointing it squarely at the Administrator. The middle-aged man regarded the weapon carefully, not daring to make any sudden movements in fear of receiving a bullet between the eyes.

"You want to let Vakarian go?" The Administrator croaked, betraying the fear he was in, "you actually want to let the turian _escape_?"

"You bet I do," the Colonel said, using the thumb of his gun-wielding right hand to click the hammer on the back of the revolver into place, "so do it. Tell your man what I want him to do. Go on, don't be scared…"

The Administrator spoke reluctantly into the phone, watching the Colonel at all times. The Colonel knew actions like this would provide some fallout onto Cerberus but he doubted it would be much worth noting and definitely not enough for the Illusive Man to care.

"Listen here," the Administrator said, "I want you to tell those men at the spaceport to let the turian go. Do you understand?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line while the man thought about his new orders carefully.

"Let him go? Why, sir?"

"Don't ask any questions!" The Administrator said angrily, "just follow my orders! Is that clear?"

"Yes sir. Sorry sir."

With that, the call had ended and the man on the other line hung up. The Administrator sat back in his seat, watching the Colonel carefully and with some uncertainty.

"What are you going to do now, Colonel?" He asked, frowning, "kill me?"

The Colonel would have really liked to kill the Administrator but knew better, knowing that the Administrator was still needed in some Cerberus operations here on Mars.

"No, I'm not," the Colonel replied, lowering his weapon. He paused for a moment to think his answer through.

"Instead, there's going to be some changes made around here," the Colonel said, "and that means you're going to have to cooperate, is that clear?"

The Administrator didn't seem too eager to agree but nodded anyway, realizing that the Colonel had the advantage.

"For starters, Cerberus will call the shots from here on," the Colonel said, although this was what had been happening ever since the Administrator had come to power. He just didn't know it and the Colonel was intending on making him think that it had only started now.

"So, are you going to cooperate and follow orders?" The Colonel asked, smiling, "or will I have to kill you?"

The Administrator frowned, annoyed at this blatant usurping of his power. He still thought he hadn't been controlled throughout his career and this was just the perception the Colonel had wanted him to have. The less he knew the better things would be for Cerberus' interests in Mars.

Cerberus had been interested in the Prothean ruins for quite some time now and it had been there that the item in the mysterious package had been located. It was only due to incompetence and disorganization that it had been moved from one facility to another, changing hands and moving to a different planet every few years. It had been on Hallian for a time, and it was this reason why Cerberus had gone there seven years ago. Unfortunately they had arrived too late since it had been moved off-world shortly before their arrival.

"What do you want me to do?" The Administrator asked, some hint of frustration creeping into his voice.

"I want you to do as we tell you," the Colonel said, the "we" referring to Cerberus. "I'm sure you'll be able to do that, won't you?"

The Administrator nodded although his dislike of this idea was evident in his eyes. The Colonel didn't care; at least he had the advantage over the Administrator for once.

Satisfied, the Colonel put his weapon back into his waist holster. The Administrator eyed him carefully but didn't say anything, obviously annoyed by the Colonel's constant smile.

"Just to make this clear, I don't want you sending anyone after Vakarian, is that understood?" The Colonel said this with a sudden seriousness, wanting to get his point across to the Administrator in the hopes that he would no longer interfere with this Kynarus Vakarian business. "It's for the best interests of Cerberus that you keep out of it."

"What are those interests?" The Administrator asked, still a little flustered from having a gun pointed at him earlier, "and is galactic domination one of them?"

The Colonel ignored the snide remark, keeping his temper under control as he dictated the new sets of rules onto the Administrator. Cerberus would be put in complete control of the colony now; it was just a wonder to the Colonel why he hadn't enforced this onto the Administrator earlier.

"Just follow my orders, Administrator," the Colonel said, narrowing his eyes, "it'll be in your best interests." He paused, trying to think of anything else he should say. The Colonel shrugged and turned around to leave, confident he had made his points clear to the Administrator.

"Where are you going?" The Administrator asked from behind him, "aren't you going to stay here and tell me what to do? Or did you tire of that plan already?"

The Colonel stopped and turned around, only metres from the door.

"I'll send someone up here to do that," he replied, "but as for me, I have to get to Buenos Aires." He paused for a moment. He personally had never been to Buenos Aires but apparently it was just like every other South American major city and it this time of year it would be pouring rain over there. Regardless, he knew he would have to go there to oversee the operation to remove Dieter. It would give him immense satisfaction if he finally got rid of Dieter and Schraeder for good.

"Buenos Aires? Why there?" The Administrator wasn't sure why the Colonel would want to go to one of the most poverty-stricken cities in South America. The answer he received was somewhat questionable.

"I heard it's nice this time of year," the Colonel said, leaving the Administrator alone in the office without giving him a chance to reply. The Colonel was smiling to himself as he found his way out of the MCA headquarters and down to the monorail station. He was also humming to himself as well; pleased with the result he had received after dealing with the Administrator. It was only a matter of time before Mars was entirely under Cerberus control and once that happened, the Colonel knew he would receive some sort of recognition from his boss. And that could be just the reward he wanted.

* * *

An overwhelming sense of relief washed through Kynarus Vakarian's system as he stood at the security checkpoint of the public spaceport, sliding his ID card across the panel in front of him. An image of his recently taken mug-shot and details of falsified identity appeared on the screen, the MCA officer standing nearby taking a look at the panel and frowning.

This spaceport was one of the few public ones in the colony and due to the limited immigration to Mars from elsewhere, it received very few travellers. The public shuttles left but when they arrived there was hardly anyone on bard. No one really wanted to come to Mars, there were far better places such as Elysium or Arcturus.

Kynarus looked around, noticing that the departure section was mostly empty. Katherine and Bradley had already passed through a few minutes before, their false identities having gotten them through without raising suspicion. Kynarus was eager to get off of Mars now seeing as his method of leaving was within his reach; he would hate to get arrested now. He was certain he was the only turian on Mars but he just hoped that wasn't the case. Otherwise being a turian would be more than enough of a reason for the MCA to arrest him.

The flight he was intending on catching was one of the few that travelled to the South America region of Earth. As a result, it wasn't going straight to Buenos Aires but would instead arrive at a place called Rio de Janeiro to begin with before moving onto Buenos Aires. There would be barely any passengers by the loo of it but even as he stood waiting for the MCA officer to let him pass through he could see a few human civilians arriving, looking rather pleased with themselves. They were about to leave Mars which was more than enough reason to be pleased.

Kynarus could see Katherine and Bradley waiting in the departure lounge just beyond the security checkpoint. Katherine was watching him, a concerned look on her face as she realized it was taking a long time for Kynarus to be let through. Kynarus realized this as well and that sense of relief he had felt earlier disappeared suddenly, leaving him feel cold and anxious. If he was caught here then chances were he wouldn't last too long seeing that he was unarmed and that there were about six more MCA officers inside the nearby office. He swallowed, trying to hide his nervousness from the officer who was checking through his details on the computer. He looked up at the turian and for a moment Kynarus thought he had been found out.

"Could you excuse me for a minute?" The officer asked, "I just need to check on something."

Kynarus nodded, watching as the officer made his way into the nearby office and towards the nearest phone. Kynarus knew then and there that he would be found out but he decided to wait and see what happened next rather than make a run for it. Maybe the call the officer was making wasn't even about him? There was a chance that he was being worried for nothing, although it was hard to tell. He watched through the window of the officer as the MCA officer dialled a number in the phone and began speaking into it, occasionally glancing over at Kynarus.

The turian turned around, pretending that he wasn't actually watching the officer and instead looked over to where Katherine and Bradley were sitting. Katherine looked worried now and the look on her face was telling Kynarus to run for it. The turian shook his head, preferring to simply stay where he was and watch what happened next. He glanced back towards the office, noticing that the officer on the phone seemed to be waiting for a response.

It was about five minutes before the officer had put down the phone. These five minutes seemed to go on for five hours for Kynarus, the turian trying his best to pretend that there was nothing wrong and remain calm. He looked around the departure section of the spaceport, noticing that the white LED lights in the ceiling seemed brighter in his anxious state. The lights left scorch marks on his vision while the distant sounds of chatter became amplified. A few beads of sweat formed on his forehead and he haphazardly wiped them away, taking a deep breath and trying to ease his worries.

Somebody stopped next to him and Kynarus almost jumped back in surprise, instantly easing when he saw that it was just some civilian who had lined up at the security post next to him. He scanned his ticket and his ID card across the panel there and was let through, the small set of gates opening before him. The human eyed the turian carefully, suspicious of the alien but otherwise too intent on his own business to care too much.

The distant sounds of chatter seemed amplified now, as if Kynarus' senses had become more alert because of his state. He was only dimly aware that his right hand was shaking, trying to steady it as he tried to ignore the sounds of chatter all around him. It was boring right through his skull, Kynarus looking around at the several different civilians and businessmen that had begun passing through the security checkpoint.

"…Yeah, I've always wanted to go to Rio…"  
"…you hear about what happened on Feros?"

"…the MCA's never been good at doing their job…"

"Mr. Ste'Lihn?"

Kynarus turned around, managing to control himself so that he didn't end up jumping back in surprise. He saw the MCA officer standing just next to the security checkpoint's computer, looking towards the turian with a usual customer service smile. The smile made Kynarus feel a little nervous but he composed himself, remembering that Ste'Lihn was his false last name.

"Sorry about the wait," the officer said, flicking a switch near the panel. The set of waist-high gates in front of Kynarus slid open, implying that the turian was being allowed through. "You can go on through now."  
"Oh…ah…thanks…" Kynarus said, feeling that same wave of relief wash over him again. The officer seemed to lose interest in him at that moment so Kynarus stepped through the security checkpoint, sighing with relief and starting to where Katherine and Bradley were hanging out.

Bradley wasn't sitting down in the departure lounge anymore. Instead, he was standing in front of a nearby vending machine and swearing under his breath as he slammed the side of it angrily. Kynarus ignored him and sat down in the seat next to Katherine. She looked at him closely, still a little bit concerned about what had just happened but just as relieved as he was that it was over.

"What was that about?" She asked, frowning.

"I don't know," Kynarus said, "probably something about how I'm a turian and how they're after a turian…" He trailed off, a rather interesting thought occurring to him then and there. Katherine seemed to notice that he had a sudden realization and leaned forwards a little, curious to hear what he had to say.

"What's the matter?" She asked.

Kynarus realized then and there that someone had allowed him through. It would have been easy for the MCA to arrest him just for being a turian, seeing as there weren't many of his kind on the planet. He probably still resembled his old self closely; it was probably just the false identity that had helped get him through. Someone had told that officer to let the turian pass through and whoever it had been must have been fairly high-up in the MCA. Unless, of course, the Colonel was still on Mars. It occurred to Kynarus then and there that maybe he was simply playing into Colonel Sommers' grand plan; it made sense that he would be. The Colonel had followed him all the way to the Zahni Corporation spaceport, what's to say he didn't know about Kynarus getting a new identity?

"Nothing," Kynarus said suddenly in response to Katherine's question. He didn't feel like telling her that they were buying right into someone else's scheme since that would probably put a considerable dent in her morale. He wasn't even sure if he was right, after all he was just speculating. However, it was something that would remain in the back of his mind for a while. Whether it was a good or bad thing that they were getting off of Mars thanks to someone else was hard to tell.

"You sure?"  
"I said it was nothing," Kynarus replied, sterner now. Katherine looked slightly taken aback by his sudden bad mood but didn't say anything in response to it. Instead, she fell silent. Kynarus was the same, not in much of a mood to talk and so spent whatever time they had left here to look around and watch the other people. There were about twenty others hanging around the departure section, all with the intent of catching the shuttle to Earth's South America region. Some were seated and talking while others were standing around, standing by the few windows and looking out into the hangar beyond. Kynarus glanced over to one of the windows, taking a look at the shuttle that was connected via docking clamps in the large hangar. Above it was open Mars air, the sky a dull blue and almost cloudless. The gate that lead into the docking tube was shut while above it a digital clock operated, giving an idea of hw long until the shuttle was due to be boarded.

Bradley returned with a bag of potato crisps opened in one hand, taking a few out with his other hand and using it to stuff them into his mouth. He sat down on the bench across from Kynarus and Katherine, frowning when he saw that the pair seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Something the matter with you two?" He asked, scratching at the side of his fake moustache and almost dislodging it from where it was stuck to his face. He managed to keep it from falling off, making sure to stick it back on to some extent. It did look a little lopsided now but he didn't seem to notice, instead chewing on more of the potato chips.

"Nothing's the matter," Katherine replied, "why?" As if to prove a point she put a hand on Kynarus' thigh, the turian taking her hand in his. Bradley noticed this, managing a slight chuckle.

"I should have known," he said, "the way you two look at each other is probably enough to let anyone know." He paused, waiting for a reaction from either of the pair. Kynarus narrowed his eyes, not too sure about whether having Bradley know about the two of them was a good idea or not. He couldn't see the harm it would do, just as long as the pair didn't end up on some trashy news special.

"So, uh…does it work?" Bradley asked with a smile.

Kynarus wasn't too sure what he meant but he saw that Katherine had gone a little red in the face. He then realized what Bradley meant by his question and couldn't help but shift uncomfortably in his seat.

"I'll take your silence as a 'yes'," Bradley said, sitting back on the bench and yawning. There was a brief silence as the three pondered their own thoughts, Kynarus still worried about the fact that the three of them were playing into someone else's plan. It was just like how Dieter had used Katherine to make sure Kynarus helped him break Schraeder out of prison.

Whatever awaited them in Buenos Aires would hopefully be the last of this whole fiasco. They had travelled around a fair bit in their pursuit of the truth about the mysterious package and Kynarus was only hoping that going to Buenos Aires would be the last bit of travelling they did. If Dieter was in Buenos Aires then there was a chance that Kynarus would finish him there before the human had another chance at escaping.

The odds were against them, of course. He eyed Bradley carefully, trying to figure out whether Bradley would help them or not. It wasn't his fight after all; he didn't need to endanger himself for something he knew nothing about.

"What are you going to do when we get to Buenos Aires?" Kynarus asked him, partially hoping that maybe Bradley would help them. He wasn't looking forward to taking on Dieter and Schraeder with only Katherine's help. The two of them were capable; it's just that this time around he had his doubts. He had doubts about the reason why they should even try taking down Dieter and Schraeder.

"Me?" Bradley shrugged, not too sure about the answer to this question. "Well, for one thing I'm going to settle down someplace nice. Yeah, probably a beach-side villa or something…" He trailed off to think about this some more. "Then I'll get a really hot looking wife and we'll live together in this villa for the rest of our lives." Bradley nodded to himself, smiling at these thoughts about his dream life. Katherine was frowning, doubtful that Bradley would ever get to see this dream come true.

"Hey, why are we going to Buenos Aires anyway?" He asked, "You still haven't told me that…"

"Just a few loose ends," Kynarus replied simply, deciding to give Bradley a much less complicated version of why they were going to Buenos Aires in particular, "you see, we've become involved in something big and a few people want us dead…"

"A _lot_ of people want us dead," Katherine corrected. Kynarus nodded in approval, realizing that it was indeed far more than a "few" people who were out to get them.

"So we're heading to Buenos Aires to tie up these loose ends," Kynarus explained, "hopefully we'll be able to do it without getting killed…"

"Maybe I can help?" Bradley asked. He had been listening intently to Kynarus' explanation about why they were going to Buenos Aires and seemed rather eager to help in any way he could.

Kynarus had been waiting for just this offer. With Bradley on their side they may stand a better chance, especially since he had money and contacts. Kynarus wasn't sure about whether or not Bradley had many contacts on Earth but the money he had would definitely come in handy.

"You're welcome to," Katherine answered, speaking before Kynarus had a chance to say anything himself. Sure, maybe Bradley was annoying and a bit cocky but he would definitely be of some help. There was no use turning down help when it was offered and Katherine was an avid believer in getting all the friends she could. Kynarus had always preferred to work by himself but that had been up until he had become involved in this business concerning the Zahni Corporation and Cerberus.

A male voice broke into the conversation through the spaceport's announcement system, the voice echoing throughout the departure section. It was the one message that Kynarus had been waiting for but dreading at the same time. It was the one message that told him that he, Katherine and Bradley were one step closer to getting off of Mars and finding Dieter. That meant they were also becoming deeply embroiled into the grand scheme of whoever had let them past the security checkpoint.

"_Attention! Attention! The twelve-fifteen flight to South America, arriving in Rio de Janeiro, going through to Buenos Aires and Caracas will be leaving in ten minutes. Those of you who are catching this flight may start boarding via Docking Tube Seven from now."_

The gate into the docking tube slid open and an MCA officer appeared from behind, standing guard by the door to check everyone's tickets. Kynarus exchanged glances with Katherine, realizing that it was either now or never. Would they catch the flight or chicken out at the last minute?  
Bradley didn't give them much of a choice since he was up and over to the departure gate within seconds. He seemed overly eager to get off Mars, although this was understandable since he had been stuck on the red planet for just over five years. Five years on Mars could destabilise anyone's mental state of mind.

"Are we going?" Katherine asked. Kynarus paused to think about this for a moment, releasing his grip on her left hand and slowly rising out of the chair and onto his feet. He certainly didn't want to stay on Mars any longer, especially since the Mars Colonial Authority had been out to get them ever since their arrival in the colony.

Katherine stood up and took Kynarus' lack of verbal response as a yes. The pair headed towards the entrance into the docking tube, flashing their tickets to the guard on duty at the entrance of the tube before starting into it. It was only a short walk into the shuttle and they found Bradley seated towards the back of the shuttle's passenger cabin.

Kynarus and Katherine sat in the chairs next to him. Kynarus realized that they would have some trouble getting through customs on Earth, seeing that their false identities would be expired by the time they arrived. The three of them knew this, but as always they would have to make things up as they went along.

"Have we got any leads to go on when we arrive?" Katherine asked, "Or we going to end up on some wild goose chase?"

Kynarus turned his head, looking at her and managing the turian equivalent of a smile. It occurred to him then that it was true that they had absolutely no solid leads. Regardless, he kept smiling.

"No, we don't," the turian replied, "but we'll find some."


	34. Buenos Aires

**Location: **Spaceport 5A, Buenos Aires, South America

Even the interiors of the spaceport were cold, the heating systems doing nothing to compensate for the conditions outside. If they were on it certainly didn't seem like it and so Hermann Holst had to button up his jacket in an effort to keep in what warmth he had left.

There had been a time, probably more than a hundred years earlier, when cities such as Buenos Aires had been warm, humid places which had been capable of attracting plenty of tourists. Those times had been long before humanity's efforts to reach out into the galaxy, when cities had been only slightly polluted and only slightly crowded.

Buenos Aires of the year 2183 was a very different place to what it had been like in the twenty-first century. The sky was almost constantly darkened by clouds of smog, the result of years and years of pollution and careless methods of getting rid of it. At this time of year the skies themselves were almost constantly overcast, bulky dark clouds blotting out almost all trace of the sun. There had been efforts made over the years to help lessen the pollution levels and improve weather conditions by the government of Buenos Aires seemed a little too slack on the matter.

The thick dark clouds weren't just for show, though. Nearly every day they unleashed a downpour of freezing cold and slightly polluted rainwater upon the city, slicking the streets and partially flooding the older areas of the city. Over the years advanced drainage systems had been installed in most parts of the city in order to drain and guide the rainwater into people's households, passing through filters and thus becoming drinkable. As a result Buenos Aires had an almost constantly refilling water supply, but this supply would disappear quickly when the "hot" season arrived later in the year. At that time of year the rains would stop and the clouds would clear, the sun beating its rays down upon the city and causing a heatwave the same time every year.

Hermann had been in Buenos Aires before, having worked at the Zahni Corporation headquarters building out on the city's outskirts. He should have been used to the oppressive climate but he had been away from the city for too long and had to get used to it all over again. He shivered slightly, noticing that the entrance doors of the terminal were sending in a rather cold draft as they constantly slid pen and closed to cope with the flux of people going in and out of the spaceport.

Outside the street was wet with rainwater and the rains themselves were continuing with their downpour, washing rubbish down the gutters and forming large puddles by the sidewalk. People outside used whatever they could to keep dry, wearing raincoats over their clothing or holding up old fashioned umbrellas. They all walked at a brisk pace, going about their own business without much care for the people around them and what they were doing.

It was a well-known fact that most of Earth's cities were like this. The pollution had affected the climate, changing it over the years so that it became rather unpredictable. Buenos Aires was a relatively small city in comparison to some others but was still fairly large, forming a metropolis that sprawled down the coast of Argentina for some distance. During its time of growth the sprawling metropolis of Buenos Aires had absorbed many smaller cities, such as La Plata and Mor del Plata. The city itself managed a surprising contrast to the wilderness around it, the growth of the city having brought many people from other parts of the country to migrate to it. This had effectively left many smaller towns in the southern areas of the country abandoned, left to be absorbed by the wilderness again. The prairies and forests that had once been subjected to intense deforestation had been left untouched for years, allowing them to regrow and effectively surrounded the city. No one lived out on the prairies though, there was no work there. The only real job opportunities were in the city, seeing as the country of Argentina now received most of its goods from other places. There was barely any agricultural and what of it that did exist was all automated, run by VI programs.

It was also common knowledge that the colonies on other worlds were far better than most of Earth's cities. That would explain why most of the population of Buenos Aires were of the lower-class, poor and unable to buy themselves a way off of Earth. The rest of the population were those that had work here and could probably afford a trip off of Earth if they wanted to, they just didn't want to risk losing their job.

Hermann was on his crutches, his legs still aching even though he had received his injuries in them a few days earlier. He could barely walk on them and wondered how Dieter would react when he saw one of his closest friends hurt like this. Of course, this was only at the back of Hermann's mind seeing that he was absolutely nervous with fear about the task that had been forced upon him. It was his own fault for getting involved in the first place and so Colonel Sommers had taken advantage of him. Hermann was powerless to do anything about it though, knowing that either way he would end up getting the short end of the stick.

He stood waiting in a queue at one of the many payphones inside the spaceport's terminal, waiting for the people in front of him to hurry up and finish their calls. There were about six payphones in this part of the terminal and all were occupied, being used by others and resulting in a rather annoying wait in a line. It annoyed Hermann just how much some people could go on talking, rambling on about such-and-such and pretending not to notice the people waiting to use the phone behind them. Hermann was standing behind a rather large Latin American woman who, in turn, was standing behind some old guy in a suit as he swore into the phone in a loud voice. Hermann had been waiting to use the phone for the last ten minutes or so, occasionally glancing around the terminal to see if any were free. None were, saying something about how crowded Buenos Aires was.

Outside, Hermann caught glimpse of a video billboard set up near the roof of the restaurant across the street. It wasn't surprising to see the advertisement n it was promoting the Zahni Corporation and how the corporation was taking humanity "into the future" with its many products and assets. The Zahni Corporation had started in Buenos Aires, once as a small organization which had gradually expanded into the galaxy-spanning corporation it was now. It was unknown when the Zahni Corporation had first come into being, although many predicted that the first organization that had eventually grown into the corporation had been set up way back in 1947. That was a heck of a long time ago and Hermann couldn't imagine what life was like back then, able to picture an unpolluted Buenos Aires landscape that was closer to its Latin American roots than it was now.

The Zahni Corporation effectively controlled Buenos Aires, having advertisements everywhere and officers everywhere. If one believed the rumours that spread concerning the corporation then that would mean that the local police force was controlled by the Corporation and so was the city's government. Hermann didn't much care for local politics; he just wanted to have a good lie down in his apartment once he told Dieter he was here. He could easily have gotten himself to the headquarters building by himself but he certainly wasn't about to walk in the rain all the way to the outskirts. It was hard to get a cab in this city so his best chance was to let Dieter know he was here and hope he cared enough to send someone to pick him up.

Hermann had arrived in Buenos Aires about an hour ago on a private shuttle, his trip having all-expenses paid for it by Cerberus. He was still feeling that same sort of anxiety he had felt whenever he had been around Colonel Sommers, having found that man to be quite unnerving. He had a reason to be afraid since if he didn't give Sommers any useful information about Dieter's next moves soon then it would be safe to assume that Cerberus would be after him.

To top things off it would be hard to keep Dieter from getting suspicious. Dieter had dealt with spies and informants before, often in rather harsh ways to make an example of them to anyone else who might consider spying against him. Hermann would have to keep his guard up and make sure he was well away from Dieter if he found out about Hermann's change of allegiances. He was friends with Dieter and was part of his "inner circle" of associates. It would be relatively easy to get any needed information but also increasingly dangerous. Dieter was highly suspicious of other people although Hermann felt a little relieved when he remembered how well he had been doing back on Mars, alerting Cerberus to Dieter's scheme to breakout Schraeder. He had also told Colonel Sommers where Dieter had set up his base of operations on Mars which had lead to the raid on the spaceport. This had been what had resulted in Hermann getting shot in the legs a few times, leading him to regret ever actually mentioning the information to the Colonel.

"…I don't want to hear any of your fucking excuses!" The businessman on the phone yelled suddenly, breaking Hermann's train of thought. The Latin American woman standing in front of Hermann tapped the man on the shoulder in a kindly manner, only to get shot a nasty glance as the businessman continued speaking into the phone.

"You're finished!" The man shouted into the phone. He slammed it back into its holder and stormed off, rudely knocking his way past the Latin American woman. Hermann watched him with some curiosity as he started for the spaceport's sliding glass doors, taking out a black umbrella and opening it up above him. He stormed out onto the street and disappeared from view as he started to walk down the sidewalk.

The Latin American woman shook her head, bewildered at the man's reaction and stepped over to the phone. She put in a few credits and dialled a number, deciding that it wasn't worth paying extra for the video link. Hermann could tell by the woman's casual conversational tone that he would be waiting for a long time and so decided to rest on his crutches slightly, trying to ease the weight he was putting on his injured legs. Not only that but he scratched at his broken nose, trying to get through the white bandage he had put over it. He was annoyed at his stroke of bad luck so far, getting shot in the legs and getting a broken nose as well. It was all thanks to Katherine Tyler, the woman he had hesitated to kill just because he had a conscience. Dieter had ordered him to do it but he had waited a little too long to obey this order, getting snuck up from behind by an MCA officer.

Hermann looked around the inside of the spaceport's entrance lobby, noting the hordes of people who were bringing their luggage inside and walking over to the counters with it. It seemed that there was no shortage of people leaving Buenos Aires, nor was there any shortage of people arriving in Buenos Aires. Regardless of the city's obvious push factors such as bad weather and overcrowding, people still showed up in the city for whatever reason. Just like Hermann had arrived: he was here on business for Cerberus and it was a safe bet that many of the people arriving now were here for business reasons as well.

Hermann watched the many differing types of people come in and out of the vast entrance lobby, noting a few of the types of people he saw: there were the rather poor looking locals, plenty of businessmen and women, a few security guards, some tourists but no Zahni Corporation officers. If there had been any Hermann would have approached them, proved his identity to them and probably would have gotten a ride to headquarters. It was just his lick that there weren't any around when he needed them, stuck waiting behind some fat local woman as she rambled into the phone in Portuguese.

Hermann noticed the several vid-screens high up on the walls above, taking note of the recent galactic news. He especially took notice of the story about Mars and recent events there.

"…_in other news recently, the Mars Colonial Authority has so far failed to release an official statement about the so-called 'attack' on their Maximum Security Prison. Administrator Derrighan has refused to be interviewed on the subject and instead allowed one of his officials, James Richter, to speak on his behalf:"_

A rather stern looking man with a balding head and rough edged features appeared on the vid-screens, scowling into the camera as several reporters held their microphones close to him to catch what he had to say. Behind him was a fairly blank wall, save for the large 'MCA' sign in the top-left of the shot.

"_The Administrator is trying his best to manage the situation," _Richter said, _"so the best you reporters could do is leave him alone. I myself am getting rather tired of you media types trying to get a scoop and make the MCA look bad. How about you all just (BLEEP) leave us alone?"_

Hermann had been so intent on watching the recent human-related news that he failed to notice that the woman in front of him had finished with the phone and was walking away. He only realized this when she bumped into him and almost knocked him over, Hermann being forced to steady himself on his crutches as he shot the woman an annoyed glance. She didn't notice it, instead starting on her way towards the spaceport's doors.

Hermann hobbled towards the phone and removed his money card from his pocket, sliding it into the phone and deciding he would be stingy and not pay extra for a standard video call. It wasn't particularly necessary and he figured he would end up getting put on hold for a while anyway.

He dialled the appropriate number for the Zahni Corporation, hearing an automated voice, probably from a VI program, respond to his call.

"_Good evening, you have reached the Zahni Corporation redirection VI. Please state your name and your region and you will be redirected to the nearest Corporation office."_

Hermann rolled his eyes. He had never liked talking to computers and had never really trusted computers before, finding them to be unreliable and often getting things wrong for his inconvenience. He realized now he should have asked Dieter for a private number and he would have, he just hadn't figured he would ever really need to use it.

"Hermann Holst," Hermann stated, hoping his name would be enough to get Dieter's attention, "Buenos Aires, North-East."

There was a pause as the VI worked with his statements. This pause was quickly followed by a beep and another beep as his call was directed to the appropriate office.

He was relieved when he heard a human voice, sounding to be from that a young woman, chime in over the phone. At least he didn't need to talk to a computer anymore.

"_Good evening, Mr. Holst. You have reached the North-East Offices of the Zahni Corporation, in Buenos Aires. How can I help?"_

Hermann had a feeling he would be waiting for some time yet to actually be able to reach Dieter, only a little surprised that his name hadn't gotten the big boss's attention.

"I need to reach Dieter Sturlmann," Hermann said, "tell him it's urgent. He knows who I am and should be expecting me…"  
_"Dieter Sturlmann? I'm sorry, but I'm sure whatever problem you have can be discussed with one of our officers…"_

Hermann felt annoyed at this woman's sheer ineptitude. He was Hermann Holst, in charge of the biotic unit that Dieter had working for the corporation. His name should be known throughout the conversation but it was obvious this woman didn't know of his existence, otherwise she would have transferred him directly to Dieter. Hermann could feel his patience wearing thin, already tired from the flight from Mars and having to wait for the people ahead of him to use the phone.

"Do you know who I am?" Hermann could hear the anger in his voice. He was annoyed not only at this woman's lack of knowledge but also by his sheer bad luck, starting with getting involved with Cerberus in the first place. He felt like banging his head against the wall when he realized his own sheer stupidity but decided against it, instead concentrating on getting his call through to Dieter. He deducted a few more credits from his money card to compensate for a lengthier call since he had a good feeling he might be here for a while.

"_Dieter Sturlmann is at the headquarters and has told us he does not want any calls at this time. Whatever problem you have can be easily discussed with the officer here with me…"  
_"I'm Hermann Holst! You should know who I am, you dumb bitch! I can have you fired from your job if I felt like it!" Hermann was getting angry now, having had a bad enough time getting here. Now he was being held up by an inept operator.

"_Hermann Holst?"_ There was a pause, the woman sounding unaffected by Hermann's insult. _"Oh, _Hermann_ Holst. I'm sorry about this misunderstanding, Mr. Holst. Your name came to me as "Sherman Holst" from the redirection VI…"_

Hermann slammed a hand against the phone holder angrily. He had been right about computers getting things wrong on a frequent basis, seeing that the redirection VI had heard his name wrong. He calmed down though, knowing now that he was finally getting through.

"_Mr. Sturlmann has been expecting a call from you," _the woman said, _"I'm sure we can get him on the line. I'll just have to put you on hold for a few minutes…"_

"Just do it!" Hermann exclaimed in exasperation, glancing behind him and seeing that an elderly man with a walking stick was waiting behind him. The man looked a little curious as to why Hermann was so angry but hadn't said anything, looking away as Hermann glanced at him.  
Returning his attention to the call, Hermann could hear some typical synthesizer music on the line as he was put on hold. He tapped his fingers on top of the phone holder impatiently, managing another glance at the old man waiting to use the phone.

"You done yet, sonny?" The old man asked, frowning from behind thick glasses.

"No, I'm not," Hermann replied, a little more calm now, "I've been put on hold instead."

The old man chuckled, seeming to find this amusing.

"Typical," he said, "they make you wait just because you inconvenience them."

Hermann nodded in agreement, waiting for Dieter's voice to come on over the phone. Instead he was subjected to promo after promo about the Zahni Corporation and its products, ranging from high-speed extranet providers to hairdryers. Once these commercials were over he was subjected to yet more cheaply sounding synthesizer music, a good five minutes passing before the phone beeped and a familiar voice came onto the line.

"_Hermann?"_ It was Dieter, a hint of genuine concern in his voice.

"Finally," Hermann said, more to himself then into the phone.

"_Hermann, you're alive!" _Dieter sounded strangely excited by this prospect although it was understandable. Hermann was a good friend of Dieter and it would make sense that Dieter would be relieved to learn that one of his closest friends was alive. He wouldn't be so relieved about it if he knew of Hermann's involvement with Cerberus.

"Dieter, I just arrived," Hermann said, deciding to get straight to the point of why he was calling, "and I need to get picked up…"

"_Of course, Hermann,"_ Dieter said, _"I'll organize something right away. Whereabouts are you?"  
_Hermann looked around again. He spotted the sign above the doors that more or less told him which spaceport he was in and took note of what it said.

"I'm in Spaceport 5A, in the North-East section of the city," Hermann said, "it's pouring down rain outside and it's near impossible to get a cab…"

"_I understand," _Dieter replied, _"I'll send someone out to you right away. They should be there in twenty minutes. Just wait outside."  
_"Thanks," Hermann said, relieved to finally be making progress. He was already tired of waiting around the spaceport and knew he would have to do some more before he was picked up but strangely enough he didn't mind. At least he would be getting to someplace a little less crowded and somewhat quieter.

"What was the breakthrough you mentioned to me last time we talked?" Hermann asked, curious about this and the excitement Dieter at shown at the prospect of a new development in the operation, "is it something I should know about?"

"_Of course you should know about it, Hermann!"_ Dieter exclaimed, _"It's the one thing that's going to help us find what we're looking for."_

Hermann felt his heart skip a beat when he heard this. Dieter was close to finding the package? This was definitely something Colonel Sommers needed to know but before Hermann did anything about that he would need to find out more. This shouldn't be too hard although he was somewhat disappointed with what happened next.

"What is it? What's the breakthrough?"  
_  
"I can't tell you that over the phone, Hermann,"_ Dieter said, _"when we meet we'll talk. I'll tell you all about what's happened during your absence. How does that sound?"_

Hermann knew that whatever Dieter had to tell him it would be something worthy to inform Colonel Sommers about. Did Hermann have any problem with helping Cerberus? No, he didn't, regardless of what that ruthless organization had done. He was just concerned about his own safety and that was the extent of it. He would do whatever it took to ensure he wouldn't end up getting hunted down by either Dieter or Cerberus.

"Alright, I'll see you soon then," Hermann said.

"_Yes, see you soon Hermann."_

Dieter hung up first, effectively ending the call. Hermann put the phone back into the holder and removed his money card from the machine, turning around and walking past the old man who had been waiting behind him. He started towards the doors, hobbling along on his crutches and trying his best to not get knocked over by any careless people. It seemed that most of the inhabitants didn't care much for the "crippled" people such as himself, brushing past him with reckless abandon. Some managed to utter "sorry" or "excuse me" but most were too concentrated on their own business to care about common manners.

Hermann stepped outside into the rain, watching as cars sped past and taking a moment to look up at the overcast night sky. The rain was coming down in sheets, flooding the gutters and washing discarded papers and other assorted rubbish into makeshift streams. He haphazardly stepped into a puddle and almost slipped, having to steady himself on a nearby streetlight pole in order to prevent himself from falling down. He began his long wait by the curb, taking in the view around him.

This part of the city was mostly just spaceports and assorted short buildings, the most being about twenty or so stories high. The distant lights of other shuttles, either taking off or landing, could be seen against the backdrop of the dark polluted sky. A few police surveillance vehicles flew low over the streets, their sirens wailing to alert people of their presence. Of course, there were surveillance cameras everywhere that operated for the police and many of these cameras were hidden from view. Hermann could see one across the street, a more obvious one judging by its position attached to the side of a streetlight pole.

Across the street were apartment buildings and a few restaurants and bars, many of them crowded with patrons trying to eat out. Advertising billboards flashed their commercials from places atop the structures. Barely anyone took notice of the billboards though, too intent of whatever else they were doing. In the distance Hermann could see the towering monolithic skyscrapers of the central business district, their furnaces spouting flame occasionally while their tall and oppressive figures loomed high over the rest of the city. Large advertising billboards took up space on some of the skyscrapers, advertising things such as companies and products to the city's denizens far below.

Hermann found a spot of shade outside the front of the spaceport's entrance, resting his weight on his crutches since he knew he would be waiting a while.

A yellow cab drove past, a small advertising board atop it which displayed the Zahni Corporation's logo and slogan. It was safe to say that nearly everything in Buenos Aires was owned by the Zahni Corporation, this being the one city that the Corporation had the most control in. Glancing at the streetlight ahead he could see the Corporation's logo on it, leading him to assume that the Corporation owned the streetlights as well. He wouldn't be surprised if they owned the public toilet facilities to top things off.

Hermann tried his best to keep warm during his wait, rubbing his hands together and closing his jacket around him. He had a good feeling that his luck was about to change, especially when Dieter finally told him of the breakthrough that had been made. He just had no idea that he would never end up getting picked up since a familiar someone would come by and get him first. Until then, he kept thinking of recent events while eagerly awaiting his pickup.

* * *

Kynarus Vakarian was woken from his slumber as the shuttle forcefully touched down, lurching slightly and knocking the turian out of his sprawled-out position on the seat. He sat up suddenly, having been in the midst of another dream and at first thought he was still in the dream. He gazed around him, alert and ready for anything, his heart hammering in his chest. It was of some relief to see that he was inside the human shuttle; Katherine was seated to his left and giving him a curious glance while Bradley sat on Kynarus' right, busy fiddling with his watch.

Katherine looked like she was going to say something but didn't get much of a chance, a different female voice crackling into life over the shuttle's announcement system.

"_Welcome to Buenos Aires,"_ the voice said in a soothing tone, obviously originating from a VI program, _"please wait for the doors to open and the ramps to extend before leaving your seats."_

Kynarus remembered the one hassle they would have when getting through the spaceport. Their falsified identities would no longer be on any databases, having deleted themselves a few hours prior to their arrival. That was one problem with travelling with false identities: you technically "ceased to exist" before you actually reached your destination. The three of them would have to figure some way past customs, otherwise their true identities would be discovered and chances were someone would try and arrest them. Kynarus had no clue whether their actions on Mars mattered much here on Earth but even so there was still a chance that either the Zahni Corporation or Cerberus would find them.

How long had it taken them to get here? He didn't have any clue as to how long their trip had been but it was safe to assume it had been a number of hours. Shuttles liked this often came with fairly low-grade FTL drives and thus a trip that might take a few days on a military-class vessel may take a week on a public shuttle. It would be safe to assume their false identities were long gone, although even if they still had them some of their actual appearances would be questionable. Bradley had taken off his false moustache and Katherine's skin had returned to its normal lighter tone, the effects of the tanning pills she had received from the forger on Mars having worn off. Kynarus still had the dark facial markings on the edges of his face and still could have passed for his false identity if it had been possible to do so.

He sat back in his seat, taking a look around as most of the other passengers were already getting out of their seats and starting for the nearby exit doors. Through the now open doors the ramps had extended and a rather cold breeze was flowing inside, chilling Kynarus to the core. The outside climate was definitely not what he was used to. Whereas Talerian had been warm and the Citadel had been temperate while the Mars colony had been a bit cool, it seemed that Buenos Aires was the coldest inhabited place he had managed to come across for some time. From where he sat he couldn't see much of the outside but he could make out the water slicked walls of the spaceport and men in thick orange maintenance uniforms making their way past the landed shuttle. The sky was dark and overcast, ominous thunder rolling somewhere distant. Rain poured down over the shuttle, another reason for Kynarus to remain where he was.

"You must have been having a bad dream," Katherine said finally, her face showing some concern, "do you want to talk about it?"  
Kynarus could barely remember the dream he had been having now, the details having left his mind during his return to reality. He looked at Katherine and shook his head, still having a little trouble gathering his bearings.

"No, I'm fine," he replied before adding, "So, we're here? On Earth?"

Katherine nodded.

"Buenos Aires, to be more exact," she said, "not exactly the sort of place I'd come for a holiday, but better than the Mars colony for sure."

Buenos Aires seemed like a peculiar name for a city but Kynarus wasn't one to complain. After all, he was certain humans found some turian names a little peculiar as well. He could tell from the look of the outside weather that it was going to be much different than the Mars colony. Where there had been sun there it seemed that Buenos Aires was distinctly lacking it.

Bradley had stood up by now, looking down at Kynarus and Katherine and gesturing towards the nearest door. He frowned when he saw that it was raining outside but didn't seem too bothered by the crappy weather. Instead, he buttoned up his white suit-jacket for extra warmth and returned his gaze to Kynarus.

"You ever been to Earth before?" He asked the turian.

Kynarus shook his head. He never had had any reason to go to Earth and hadn't seen himself going to the human home-world for any reason. That had been up until recently when events had more or less invited him here. He had heard of the human home-world and its massive but polluted cities, often crowded while entire regions had been left to "denaturise" outside of some of these cities. The pollution may have had something to do with the bad weather but Kynarus wasn't sure. Maybe it was just normal weather here on this part of Earth.

"You're not missing out on much," Bradley said simply, starting for the door. Kynarus slowly rose to his feet, Katherine doing the same. The way Bradley spoke about his home-world didn't sound too flattering, as if he was somehow ashamed of it. Katherine, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any problems even when the three of them had exited the shuttle and were starting down the already water-slicked exit ramp. The rain was coming down at a steady pace, one that wasn't too fast to incite the term "downpour" but one that wasn't too slow to incite the term "drizzle". Rather, it was a continuous flow that didn't seem to change speed or direction. It simply kept going and it didn't seem that an end was anywhere near.

As soon as Kynarus was outside, several new smells found their way up the turian's nostrils. There was that smell of water and of dampness, mingled with the smells of differing types of fuels. There was the unmistakable stench of old-fashioned gasoline, used to power the miniature buggies that the spaceport's maintenance crews used to get around the landing pad of the spaceport. There was the pungent and metallic smell of burning eezo from the shuttle's glowing engines, the blue glow of those engines slowly dimming as they were turned off. High above, in the dark overcast night sky were several lights from other aircraft, including police surveillance choppers and passing shuttles.

Kynarus turned his gaze to what parts of the city itself he could see. The tops of some of the taller skyscrapers loomed in the distance, far past the spaceport's far fence. Beyond that fence were a number of smaller structures, their lights switched on. They showed themselves to be maintenance buildings, set against a backdrop of a vacant lot which ended at a highway overpass. Even from where Kynarus was he could make out the lights of traffic on the overpass, cars literally bumper-to-bumper and in a severe case of gridlock.

A sudden bout of flame on the horizon caught Kynarus' eye. He traced its origin back to the roof of one of the tall skyscrapers, figuring that it was some sort of furnace or by-product of some machine that operated on gas. Kynarus' attention was diverted from "admiring" the oppressive and dark cityscape and towards Katherine who had nudged him in the side gently to get his attention. They were down on the wet slicked concrete ground of the spaceport; following the few dozen other passengers towards a set of brightly illuminated glass doors set in what was quite obviously the spaceport's main building. A few security guards stood in the shade near the doors, dressed in thick blue jackets in order to protect from the cold and looking rather bored while doing it.

"How are we going to get through customs?" Katherine asked. Kynarus didn't have any idea how they would manage that, simply shrugging while trying t shake off the cold. It was absolutely freezing and turians like him weren't quite used to such cold environments. His home-world, Palaven, was hot and humid. This city was quite the opposite, being wet and cold. He was already beginning to have second-thoughts about coming here when Katherine spoke again, concern once again finding its way into her voice.

"There is something on your mind, isn't there?" She asked. The two of them had stopped, inclining Bradley who had been walking slightly ahead of them to stop as well. Kynarus took a moment to think his answer through; he tried to determine what exactly was bothering him. Was it the dreams or the many contradicting thoughts that were running through his brain?

"I'm just having second-thoughts," Kynarus replied. This was true enough. He had been unable to help but think of what awaited them the more they pursued Dieter and Schraeder in order to find out anything they could about the scheme these two men had planned and prevent them from getting hold of the so-called "package". It occurred to Kynarus that it was this very "package", the very container marked "BMH-0018" that had caused all of this recent trouble in the first place. When he did find it, _if_ he ever found it he would make sure no one else would ever try and take advantage of its contents again. He would destroy it, both for his own satisfaction and to ensure no one else ever got hold of it again.

"So am I," Katherine replied, putting a hand on his left shoulder. She was standing close to him, and Kynarus could feel her warmth through his armour. He suddenly found himself longing for her touch again and the feeling of her warm, slender body against his tough, scaly frame…

"I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of whatever Dieter has planned," she said, "we've come this far, haven't we?"

Kynarus nodded. He could see from the corner of his vision that Bradley was watching the two of them with some interest, looking a little impatient since the three of them were standing in the rain.

"You should just stop worrying," Katherine said in a reassuring manner, "the more you worry the more anxious _I_ get."

Kynarus was about to reply and tell her that he wasn't meaning to get her worried when Bradley's voice interrupted the conversation, preventing Kynarus from speaking.

"Hey you two, you mind saving your sentimentalities for later?" He asked, "Last time I checked, we were trying to stop a madman from getting his hands on an important item. Are we still doing that or are we taking a break?"

"You told him about Dieter, didn't you?" Kynarus asked quietly. There was no other way Bradley could have found out; Katherine would have had to explain it to him during the flight, when Kynarus had been asleep.

Katherine shrugged.

"Well, if he's going to help us then he ought to know," she said, "what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Kynarus said suddenly, trying not to make it sound like he was against her decision to tell Bradley, "I was just curious, that's all…"

Bradley's voice once again interrupted the conversation and this time he sounded impatient and a little annoyed.

"We're standing in the fucking rain!" He called, "if you two want to talk and kiss and other stuff you can do it somewhere that has a roof and later on. Right now we have to figure out a way to get past customs…"

Kynarus remembered the one little problem they immediately faced. Katherine seemed to remember this as well and took her hand off of his shoulder, taking a step back and turning to Bradley.

"Have you figured anything out yet, seeing as you seem so eager to get on with what we're here for?" Katherine asked, scowling doubtfully towards Bradley. To her surprise he gave her the answer she had been least expecting, gesturing towards a dimly lit door further along the spaceport's main building.

"Yeah, I think I have figured something out," Bradley said, "over there, if I'm right, will be one of the entrances the maintenance guys use. It should take us anywhere we want to go in the spaceport without actually going through any security checkpoints." He paused, seeming to admire his own intelligence for a moment. "All we have to do is figure out a way to get in."

By now the crowds of newly arrived passengers from the shuttle had gone, all of them having headed inside the spaceport's main building. Now it was only Kynarus, Katherine and Bradley left standing out in the rain save for a maintenance crew of three orange-vested men unloading the luggage from the shuttle. The security guards by the brightly lit glass doors weren't paying any attention towards Kynarus or Katherine or Bradley. As if to prove this point, two of the security guards had moved off behind some large metal cargo containers and were sharing cigarettes and speaking in hushed voices.

"Follow me," Bradley said, "I'll get us through the spaceport without any hassle." He seemed a bit overly confident about this but then again, Kynarus wasn't about to complain. He hadn't had any good ideas on how to get them past customs and whatever security checkpoints awaited them inside the spaceport's main building. Bradley's idea to use the maintenance corridors seemed logical and smart enough.

The three of them crossed the open ground of the spaceport, working their way into a small maze of stacked metal cargo containers in order to keep themselves out of sight of the security guards. From there they worked their way towards the dirtied metal door, Bradley being the first one to approach it and try to open it. It was locked with a keycard lock, the sort that were impossible to pick. An Omni-tool probably would have gotten the job done but unfortunately none of them had one of those all-purpose holographic glove devices.

"Great idea Bradley," Katherine said sarcastically, receiving a sharp and rather annoyed glance from Bradley, "whoever put you in charge anyway? Last time I checked, _you_ were the newcomer while I was the one supposed to be bossing you around."

Bradley frowned, a little annoyed at this remark and becoming further annoyed when he realized how true it was. Kynarus knew that neither of them were in charge of their little group though and he could tell Katherine knew this as well as he did. Bradley, being new, seemed to believe that Katherine had once been in charge from the way she was telling him about it. Intelligence wasn't Bradley's strongpoint, it seemed.

"Sorry missy," he replied, rolling his eyes, "but it was worth a shot…It's certainly better than going through a security checkpoint, getting busted and then arrested…"

The sound of footsteps nearby abruptly ended the exchange. The three of them exchanged glances, realizing that the increasing volume of the footsteps implied that someone was coming. Without saying a word, save for Bradley's surprised and partially worried gasp, the trio made for the relative safety of the nearby stack of metal cargo containers. They watched from their hiding place as a lone orange-vested maintenance worker appeared from around a corner, approaching the door while he whistled a tune to himself. He fumbled around in the pockets of his vest for a moment, looking for the appropriate item that would get him through this door. After about thirty seconds of searching he found it, removing a yellow keycard from one of the pockets in his trousers and proceeding to slide it through the keycard lock on the door.

At that moment Bradley had stepped out of the shadows, casually approaching the maintenance worker. Kynarus realized he could very well get them all busted with his idiotic actions but neither he nor Katherine could stop him from doing whatever it was he was planning on doing. Instead, the pair watched the white suited human approach the worker with a casual demeanour.

The worker turned around, keycard still in hand, eyeing Bradley carefully. He didn't seem too bothered by the man's presence, especially since Bradley looked friendly enough. He was probably used to seeing all kinds of people hanging around the grounds of the spaceport, just killing time and hanging out.

"Hey man, you got a cigarette?" Bradley asked, putting on a bit of a friendly act. The maintenance worker nodded, smiling at the friendly newcomer as he reached into a pocket in his vest and retrieved a small carton of cigarettes. He took two out of the carton, handing one to Bradley while placing the end of one in his mouth.

"Sure, I'm always willing to share a smoke," the maintenance worker said with a gruff Latin American accent. He took out a lighter as Bradley put his newly received cigarette into his mouth. The maintenance worker lit his and then his own, the pair puffing and expelling thin clouds of pungent smoke as they stood in the shade by the door.

Kynarus had a feeling that Bradley was merely trying to earn the maintenance worker's trust or at the very least put his guard down. Watching from the shadows he and Katherine observed as Bradley began chatting up the maintenance worker, asking him about his job and how life in general had been in Buenos Aires. This went on for a few minutes and Kynarus felt himself getting impatient with the way Bradley was taking his time.

Suddenly Bradley grabbed hold of the maintenance worker, catching the worker off guard and causing him to drop his cigarette. With relative ease Bradley hurled his head into the wall, knocking the worker out on impact and letting the unconscious worker slump onto the ground. Bradley kept a straight face as he bent over and picked up the orange keycard that the maintenance worker still gripped in one hand, stepping over to the door and sliding it through the lock. The electronic lock blinked green lights and there was a faint _click_ as it unlocked, the door opening slightly. Bradley turned in the direction of Kynarus and Katherine, gesturing with one hand for them to come over.

Finally seeing that Bradley was no longer dawdling, Kynarus and Katherine emerged from their hiding places in the shadows amongst the nearby containers and followed Bradley through the now open maintenance entrance. Beyond was a brightly lit and mostly concrete walled corridor, winding down to both the left and right. A few doors were on the left-side of the corridor while some signs hanging from the ceiling pointed the ways to go if someone was heading for a particular part of the spaceport. There was no doubt this corridor could get them past any security checkpoints that might be in the spaceport. Kynarus was only a little worried that somebody might find the unconscious maintenance worker since that would definitely result in trouble.

"Where to now?" Bradley asked, closing the door behind them as they stepped into the corridor. Kynarus looked down the corridor, trying to find any hints as to where they should be heading. He saw the sign hanging from the ceiling, arrows pointing in the appropriate direction of whatever place they were marking. The words "FRONT LOBBY" caught his attention and it seemed it was a simple matter of following the corridor along until they found the appropriate door.

"I think I have an idea," Kynarus replied, starting down the corridor. Katherine and Bradley followed, noticing the signs as well and realizing that it wouldn't be too hard to find their way around with such help.

The corridor itself was just as cold as the outside air had been, this part of the building seeming to lack any sort of climate control. Not that it really needed it; these were maintenance tunnels after all. The concrete walls and hollow spaces send a freezing cold draft flowing down the corridor which chilled Kynarus to the bone, causing him to shiver every now and then. They followed the dull grey corridor for a few minutes, stopping when they reached a sign that pointed them towards a door to their left. Opening it they stepped out into the sudden hustle and bustle of the spaceport's main building's interior, hit with a wave of noise including civilian's conversations and the blaring volumes of the many vid-screens on the walls.

The trio stepped out of the maintenance tunnel, taking a look around at the entrance lobby and noticing that they were several metres ahead of a security checkpoint. This was a relief to Kynarus at the very least, knowing now that they might be somewhat trouble-free for the rest of their trip into the city.

The lobby was somewhat warm, the climate control systems providing a comfortable temperature for the vast room. Sets of sliding doors were at the far end, opening out into the rain-drenched street beyond. The people inside the vast entrance lobby were scattered, the crowds forming at the security checkpoint at the other end of the room. No one seemed to pay the turian or his two human friends any attention as they exited the maintenance corridor, astounded at how lucky they had been to avoid any security checkpoints. The exit was ahead of them and would be quick walk across the room. Once they were out in the city they could lay low while trying to work out their next move, having to find out where Dieter and Schraeder were to start off with.

The trio started their way across the entrance lobby, Kynarus looking around at the many different types of humans that were wandering around him. Some were grouped together, talking while others were on speaking into their headsets to whoever they were speaking to. Some were standing in front of the vid-screens on the walls, watching the news reports and commercials that flashed across the screens. Kynarus saw that a promotional advertisement for the Zahni Corporation had come on, boasting about how the Corporation would lead humanity "further into the future" and provide a better economy for Buenos Aires.

It was a very different and very crowded place than Kynarus' home-world. Palaven was a tropical paradise, with clean oceans and majestic cities with little overcrowding problems. From what Kynarus could tell of Buenos Aires this city was polluted and crowded, the many different types of people he could see showing the diverse classes that inhabited the city. There were the rich businessmen and women on their phones and headsets, carting around briefcases and wearing expensive clothes. There were the middle-class tourists and civilians in their casual outfits, wandering around taking snapshots with their cameras and talking in small groups. A group of about five humans in their late teens to early twenties were hanging out by one of the room's pillars, smoking cigarettes and having a conversation which mostly consisted of swear words. They were all dressed in ragged-looking dirty clothing that probably hadn't been washed for days, weeks even. All in all this human society seemed remarkably different than any turian one, a fact that Kynarus wasn't particularly surprised with. He had been in human settlements before, just never a major city on their home-world.

By now the trio was stepping through a set of glass doors at the entrance. Once they were outside they were once again struck by a downpour of rain and blast of cold air, sending another chill through Kynarus. He brushed against a human in a rugged jacket, receiving a nasty glance from the human as he went past. Otherwise though, no other human paid any attention to him despite the fact he was a turian and was on their home-world. He doubted that happened a lot and was somewhat surprised at the indifference of most of the civilians here.

"Let's get a cab," Bradley said, standing on the curb and trying to hail down one of many of the yellow taxis that sped past. None stopped for him seeing as they were all occupied but he kept trying, leaving Kynarus and Katherine to stand under the shade outside the front of the spaceport's entrance.

"What shitty weather," Katherine said, stating the obvious. Kynarus nodded since he didn't know what else he should do, preferring to engage in whatever small talk Katherine had planned. It would help to get his mind off of the cold, allowing his gaze to shift onto Katherine. Her hair was wet and was clinging to her forehead with a slick look to it. He found that he liked the new look even more than he had liked her new shorter hair thanks to the haircut the forger had given her back on Mars.

"Where do you think Dieter is?" Katherine asked, "Trying to find him in this city would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack."  
Kynarus shrugged, he honestly had no idea where they should start. They had come here without having planned ahead, a mistake on their part but it had been a necessity in order to get off of Mars and away from the ever encroaching Mars Colonial Authority.

"I'm sure we'll find something…" Kynarus heard himself trail off, his gaze finding its way on a familiar figure standing by the curb nearby. This figure hadn't seen him yet, his back being turned as he leaned on a set of crutches by a streetlight pole. Katherine frowned at this seemingly inexplicable end to what the turian had been saying.

"What? What is it?"

Kynarus ignored her for a moment, starting on his way towards the man in the coat and on the crutches. He recognized the man as Hermann Holst, the annoying biotic who he had seen hanging around with Dieter. Knowing that he may have just found their means of tracking down Dieter he stopped behind Hermann and put a taloned hand on his shoulder, making the human almost fall over in shock. Hermann steadied himself and slowly turned around on his crutches, his eyes widening when he saw Kynarus. The turian simply gave the equivalent of a grin when he saw Hermann's reaction.

"You!" Hermann managed to gasp, glancing over Kynarus' shoulder and looking equally surprised to see Katherine standing behind the turian. He turned around and started to hobble away on his crutches, determined to get away from the two who had given him so much trouble before. Katherine was the one to blame for his broken nose after all.

With ease Kynarus put an arm around Hermann, holding him tightly and preventing his somewhat slow and hobbling escape. Kynarus smiled, making sure that it didn't look like he was forcing Hermann to remain where he was. Such an action might get the two of them unwanted attention from the nearby pedestrians, Kynarus making sure it looked to other that he was simply giving Hermann a friendly arm-on-the-shoulder. Hermann looked worried but didn't say anything, Kynarus placing a hand on his left arm so that he could break it at a moment's notice. This was enough to keep Hermann quiet and from screaming for help.

Katherine gave Hermann a rather devious smile as Kynarus guided him towards the newly hailed cab Bradley had flagged down. Bradley gave Kynarus a strange look at the turian and his new companion but didn't ask any questions, instead pulling pen the dor of the cab and climbing inside.

Kynarus looked around the rain-soaked and crowded street for any sign of Zahni Corporation goons. If Hermann was here there was a chance some of Dieter's goons might also be and this may lead to trouble. Kynarus was relieved to see that there were none in sight and so casually forced Hermann into the backseat of the cab before sitting in the seat next to him. Katherine sat on the other side of the German, closing the cab's doors while Bradley sat in the passenger seat.  
The driver was a local Argentinean, looking to be in his mid-fifties and greying short hair. He eyed Kynarus through the rear view mirror carefully, apparently distrustful of the turian but happy to actually have received a fare anyway.

"Where to?" The driver asked.  
Kynarus thought about this for a moment. He had no idea where they should go and realized that he would need some time to "question" Hermann about what he knew.

"Just drive around the block until I say otherwise," Kynarus replied bluntly. The driver gave him a strange look but quickly lost it, simply shrugging and resuming with driving the cab. While the cab started circling the block, Kynarus turned his attention to Hermann and felt some satisfaction at his obvious fear.

"Who is this guy?" Bradley asked from the passenger seating, turning around and looking at Hermann.

"An old friend," Kynarus replied, turning to Hermann. "Isn't that right, Hermann? I doubt your biotics can save you now, meaning you're stuck with us…"  
Hermann looked around desperately, trying to find some means of escape. There were none, especially since the cab was moving and he had Kynarus on his right and Katherine on his left. He was genuinely at the mercy of these two and their new friend in the white suit jacket who was sitting in the passenger's seat and watching him carefully.

"What do you want with me?" Hermann asked, trying to keep the anxiety out of his voice. He had no other option but to try and talk his way out of it although the mean-spirited look he was receiving from Kynarus suggested that the turian wouldn't be letting him go so easily.

"I want information," Kynarus said, keeping a hand on the beck of Hermann's neck. He squeezed the back of the human's neck with some force, noticing the human wince slightly. He doubted he would receive any trouble from this defenceless goon of Dieter's, noticing that the once confident Hermann Holst was looking genuinely frightened for his own safety. He was in no position to use his biotics and even if he somehow did escape the moving vehicle and make a run for it he wouldn't get far on his crutches.

The things Kynarus wanted to know were simple. Now that he, Katherine and Bradley seemed intent on seeing this whole package business to the end they would need to find out a few things. This included Dieter's whereabouts and whatever he had planned. Kynarus was sort of hoping Hermann wouldn't have any useful information since this would give them an excuse to take their time in going against Dieter again. So far it occurred to Kynarus that he was only seeing this through because of a sense of nagging purpose. Part of him was telling him it was up to him and Katherine (as well as Bradley now, it seemed) to stop whatever Dieter and Schraeder were planning, it was just that Kynarus didn't have too much faith in their chances.

Regardless, he decided to press their newfound lead for any useful information. Surprisingly enough Hermann didn't have much to say.

"Tell me where Dieter is," Kynarus said bluntly, getting straight to the point. Hermann seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment but when Kynarus tightened his grip on the back of the man's neck he suddenly began talking.

"I think he's at the headquarters!" Hermann exclaimed, sounding scared. He tensed where he sat, faced with an inescapable situation.

"What do you mean, 'you think'?" Kynarus asked, his voice taking on a more menacing tone. He knew all he needed to do was give Hermann a good scare and the guy would be spilling out the facts like a fountain. He knew he wouldn't have to hurt Hermann much to get him to answer his questions.

"I'm not sure!" Hermann replied, "I only just arrived here! Why do you think I was waiting outside the spaceport?"

"I guess that makes sense," Katherine interjected. It certainly did make sense, otherwise why else would Hermann have been at the spaceport?

"I was left on Mars…I had to get here myself!"

"Where's this headquarters you mentioned?" Kynarus asked. The fact that Hermann may have been left behind on Mars by Dieter probably meant that he wouldn't have much in the way of information. He was definitely telling the truth, Kynarus could see that.

"It's south, a few miles outside of the city…You can look on a fucking map and find it, it's that obvious! Now, really, I don't know much else…"

Kynarus figured this "headquarters" building was the headquarters of the Zahni Corporation itself. Going straight there would be stupid but knowing Dieter was there would be enough of a fact to work with.

"What's inside the package?" Kynarus asked, deciding to try his luck with this question.

Hermann shook his head, obviously with no idea about the contents of the package and what they did.

"I don't know!" Hermann exclaimed, sounding desperate, "now, could you please let me go? I've got things to do…"  
Kynarus took only a moment to figure out what to do next.

"Hey, stop here for a minute," he told the driver. The driver, seemingly oblivious to the interrogation that had been taking place in the backseat of his car, pulled to a stop by the rain-soaked curb. Kynarus opened his side's door and stepped out, bringing Hermann out with him.

"What are you planning on doing?" Hermann asked, more curious than anything else, "you seriously aren't contemplating on going to the headquarters, are you? You'll be shot on sight!"

"The thought crossed my mind," Kynarus replied. He climbed back into the cab, leaving Hermann standing on the curb and in the rain. The turian didn't know what other use Hermann might have and was fairly satisfied with the tid-bit of information he had received. Dieter was at headquarters, this was really all he needed. He had worked with limited leads before and this time should be no different.

Closing the cab's door behind him once he had sat back down, he managed one last look at Hermann before he told the driver to go. Katherine, however, gave her turian boyfriend a rather harsh look.

"He'll tell Dieter we're in town," she said, "We should have taken him into an alley and killed him or something…"

For once Kynarus didn't share her thoughts about this matter. The last thing he needed was another death on his conscience after all that had happened and so he simply shook his head in response to Katherine's suggestion.

"He doesn't deserve that," he said.


	35. Dimitri's Bar

**Location: **Buenos Aires, Argentina, South America, Earth

Mornings in Buenos Aires weren't particularly bright and the change in time did little to change the amounts of people already out on the streets. Freeways remained gridlocked, cars crawling along at a snail's pace while the busy main streets remained crowded as always. Buenos Aires was a city of both nightlife and day-life, appearing alive and crowded for the twenty-four hours of a day. Advertisement screens blared out announcements about whatever products they were selling, occasionally breaking the silence of the room Kynarus found himself in.

He was awake, lying back on a semi-comfortable bed in a room he had rented last night. It was on the floor above a bar and restaurant place, one of the seedier establishments in one of the poorer neighbourhoods. The sounds of music were already filtering from the bar downstairs as business hours began, having closed up at midnight before opening again this morning.

The window by the bed had its blinds down although thin streams of light found their way through the many broken gaps inside the plastic blinds, one stream falling across the turian's face. He moved his head so that the light was out of his eyes, resting his gaze on the face of the young female human lying in bed next to him.

Katherine was fast asleep although now she shifted slightly, making a noise which indicated that she might have been having some sort of dream. She reached out one arm towards the turian, her fingers finding the scaly and smooth flesh of Kynarus' chest. She rested her hand there, seemingly reassured by the turian's presence for she did not move restlessly in her sleep again. Kynarus simply smiled, reaching over with his right hand and feeling Katherine's hair between his fingers. He found it was smooth and silky, this a result of the shower the two of them had shared the night before.

Bradley, the slightly irritating and idiotic human that had decided to tag along with the pair, had taken a different room on the same floor. He didn't seem too concerned with the fact that Kynarus and Katherine had wanted to share a room and had seemed more interested in finding out whatever he could about the Zahni headquarters building. It was strange since Kynarus had never thought someone would be so eager to help them go against one of the most powerful corporations in existence. Apparently Bradley had nothing much else to do with his life now that he had left Mars (at least, this is what he had told Kynarus). His life and work, being a drug dealer and all, had ended once he had left Mars and so now he had little much else to do except help Kynarus and Katherine in their rather impossible crusade.

Kynarus knew it would be near impossible going against a corporation that seemed to have limitless resources and was currently being led by a madman but they didn't have any choice. Sooner of later the Zahni Corporation would find them and kill them, probably because of their past interference. They would probably try and find the package first before worrying about their enemies, this being another fact that made Kynarus a little uneasy. If they found the package first and it was some sort of ancient weapon, what would stop them from using it immediately? If Dieter got his hands on the package then everyone would lose, especially any non-humans. The Corporation seemed more concerned about the human race than anything else, just like Cerberus was…

Kynarus didn't really want to think about this sort of thing right now. Instead, he decided he would probably be best taking his mind off of it and simply lying in bed, lazing around without expending any energy. He had already exhausted himself enough during recent times and he was already getting a bit tired of it, knowing that he would be thankful once this all business to do with the package and its mysterious contents was over. He just wasn't looking forward to seeing hw it ended although he did manage to give himself some new confidence about it, aware that he and Katherine had an advantage since Dieter and his goons still thought the two of them were on Mars. This would probably remain the case until Hermann Holst told them about his encounter with them last night.

Why hadn't Kynarus simply killed Hermann? It would have made things simpler although he knew he couldn't have done it, even if he had wanted to. Hermann was a pathetic excuse of a human being, reduced to some anxious little dweeb with a broken nose and was on crutches. He didn't seem the fanatically loyal Zahni Corporation type Kynarus had encountered before and was definitely someone who deserved any chance he got. He might have knocked Kynarus around before but it seemed that Hermann had changed since then. The last thing Kynarus needed was another killing in cold blood on his conscience. He had already done enough of those and was rather regretful of the other ones, especially when he had killed the Warden back on Mars. _That_ had been unnecessary…

_Or had it?  
_  
Kynarus' mind seemed to have slowly fallen apart into contradicting sectors, each one with its own thoughts on recent events. There was a part that was telling him and mostly reassuring him that everything he had done had been for the greater good while there was another part of his mind that was telling him that he should keep up this killing spree. He realized he was now responsible for a lot of deaths and wouldn't be surprised if he ended up on the galaxy's "most wanted" list. Even if most of the people he had killed had been Cerberus and Zahni Corporation goons, he was sure that someone cared enough about such actions to organize a manhunt for the near "invincible" turian who had seemingly gone on a sort of galactic killing spree.

If it hadn't been for his meeting with the Colonel all that time ago, back in Chora's Den on the Citadel then he would never have gotten involved with Cerberus and the Zahni Corporation. Again he realized that this would have meant he would never have met Katherine. If it wasn't for her he would probably still be a drug-addled washout of a mercenary. Katherine gave him a purpose to his life, one that Kynarus hadn't had for years. Once Lalias had died he had become a mercenary, starting off his career as a hired gun fairly well before ending up an alcoholic and drug user.

That had all changed. At least, most of it had. Now here he was, in bed with the woman of his dreams who just happened to be a human compared to him being a turian. Perhaps they're chances of stopping Dieter weren't so low after all, the two of them made an excellent team. Kynarus wasn't sure about Bradley, although he did seem fairly competent with a gun.

Kynarus felt a tad hungry, having missed out on a large and filling dinner the night before since the bar and restaurant downstairs didn't have any turian food. He sat up in the bed, letting Katherine's hand slip off of his chest. She shifted restlessly again, as if his lack of a close presence made her a little uneasy. Kynarus would be back to give her company once he had had something decent to eat. Chances are she wouldn't even wake up for another hour or so.

He was wrong about the last fact. As he turned and put his legs over the side of the bed he felt a familiar feeling grip on his shoulder, inclining him to turn his head. He found that Katherine was awake and sitting up, looking at him through tired and weary eyes. She seemed to be smiling, eyeing his bulky turian frame carefully.

"Where are you going?" She asked, the look in her eyes indicating that she wasn't quite finished with him yet. As much as Kynarus wanted to stay, he did feel quite hungry.

"I'm getting something to eat," he replied simply, standing up. He looked around for his clothing and its under-suit, finding his clothes scattered across the floor and mixed in with Katherine's. In their hurry to get into bed together they had somewhat carelessly stripped each other, throwing their clothing this way and that. Kynarus found his items and casually got dressed, finding that the Zahni Corporation armour seemed tighter around his waist for some reason. It wasn't the most comfortable armour but it was all he had to wear at the moment, unless he somehow located a shop in Buenos Aires that specialized in turian fashion.

"You want to come?" Kynarus asked, turning around to face Katherine. She shrugged, as if to say yes and climbed out of the bed as well. When she had dressed herself the pair headed out of the rented room, passing the door into Bradley's room. Kynarus stopped and knocked on it before seeing the little note taped onto the door. Pulling it off he took a moment to read it, turning to look at Katherine when he had finished.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Seems Bradley's taking this whole package business a little more seriously," Kynarus said while scrunching up the paper note in one hand and throwing it to the floor. "Says here he's gone off to find out more about this headquarters building. Seriously, does he actually want to tag along with us while we take on Dieter?"

Katherine seemed a little more understanding, frowning as she thought about this for a moment.

"Maybe he just wants to help?" She asked.

Kynarus shrugged. He couldn't care less about what Bradley wanted to do realizing that they could have a little break from him now that he seemed to have left for a while.

"He can do what he wants, it doesn't bother me," Kynarus said simply, continuing down the carpeted hallway to the stairs at the far end. The sounds of music and mingled chatter drifted from the bar and restaurant area downstairs while the smell of tobacco smoke became thick in the air. The pair headed downstairs, entering the bar and restaurant area which was already packed with patrons, all of them humans and many of them smoking cigars and cigarettes while speaking in either English, Spanish or Portuguese.

Through the large windows Kynarus could see it was a dismal, overcast day in the city. He wasn't surprised at the lack of any decent sunshine, seeing as the city was polluted and smoggy. It was also raining to top things off although not as hard as it had been last night, today being more of a steady shower than a torrential downpour.

Kynarus and Katherine found a vacant table over in the corner, close to the bar. Kynarus didn't have much choice in the way of food considering there was hardly anything a turian like him could eat without getting sick, so he chose to have a few drinks while Katherine ordered a fully-fledged breakfast meal. There were a few minutes of silence as either of them found it hard to think of something to say, preferring to not mention the package and the trouble it had brought them but realizing that this was all they really had to talk about. They had already told enough abut themselves to each other but even so, Katherine did finally find something to say.

"So, uh…Kye, I know this might seem like an odd question but I've been curious about it all the time I've known you," she said, sounding a little uneasy about what she was going to say, "but I do want you to know that I won't be insulted or anything if you don't answer. I'd prefer it if you were honest with me…"

"What do you want to ask?" Kynarus interrupted her, speaking in a reassuring manner in order to quell her anxiety. He didn't know what was making her so unsure all of a sudden but didn't think it could be anything that he couldn't answer.

"Have you ever loved anyone before me?" Katherine asked rather bluntly. Kynarus wasn't fazed by the question; in fact he had been expecting something like it to come out of her mouth ever since they had first slept together. It was a question that he had been asked before by some of his previous lovers. Those relationships had long since finished and the last true one had been with Lalias but it hadn't lasted too long. Now he had what Rellin Kia'Shan had told him on the way to Mars, very possibly all lies but even so they gnawed away at the back of his mind no matter how hard he tried to forget them.

"Yeah, I have," Kynarus replied, pausing for a moment to think through what else he should add to his response, "they're all over now though."  
Katherine raised an eyebrow, suitably curious to hear more. She leaned forwards a little attentively, almost knocking over her glass of drink in the process.

"Anyone who particularly stood out?"  
Kynarus wasn't at all uncomfortable talking about this, especially to his newest lover. He simply nodded, taking a sip from the glass of alcoholic beverage he had ordered and went on to reply.

"There was this one woman I met when I worked at a military base on Hallian," Kynarus said, suddenly able to remember details about this particular female quite vividly. He would have been worried if he couldn't.

"Was she a turian?" Katherine asked. This was a reasonable question and if Kynarus had been in her position he would have asked the same thing. Katherine would have to be the first human female he had gotten into a relationship with after all.

"Yeah, she was," Kynarus said, "her name was Lalias. You know when I think about it, I would have to say that it was love at first sight…"  
Katherine looked surprised to hear this but not offended. Instead, she seemed curious to hear more.

"Really?" She asked, "If that's the case, why aren't you together?"  
Kynarus knew the reason all too well. His delay in answering seemed to make Katherine concerned since she frowned, noticing how he was staring past her as memories came flooding back into his mind.

"Something happened, didn't it?"

"Yeah," Kynarus said, returning his gaze towards her.

"You want to talk about it?"

Kynarus shook his head. He had moved on since then but it still hurt think about, although this pain had since been relieved thanks to Katherine coming into her life. For better or worse, Katherine seemed somewhat similar personality-wise to Lalias.

"No," Kynarus replied. Katherine didn't bother pushing the point any further; seeing how it had affected the usually tough and casual turian she had come to know.

"Maybe some other time then?" Katherine said somewhat optimistically. Kynarus shrugged, maybe they would talk about it or maybe they wouldn't. Right now he didn't feel like giving it anymore thought than he had to, preferring to simply finish off his current glass of drink.

"Anyone else I should know about?" Katherine asked, "Otherwise I can tell you about mine…"

Kynarus shook his head again. He wasn't too interested in talking about past figures in their lives, including lovers. No use dwelling on the past anymore than they had to, especially since the two of them were here now and they were together. That was all that mattered and as long as things stayed that way, Kynarus would be happy and so would Katherine. Kynarus preferred to think that they were both inseparable but that wasn't exactly true, seeing as they had been separated by Dieter before arriving on Mars. The only way they could be broken up is if they chose to do it (a very unlikely occurrence) or if someone forced them apart (somewhat more likely an occurrence).

"Don't bother," Kynarus said to Katherine's surprise, "there's no need to dwell on past events. We're here now, together. That's all that should matter. At least, that's all that matters to me…"

"You're a real romantic, Kynarus," Katherine said. Kynarus could sense some sarcasm in her voice but didn't find himself too worried about her opinion of his personality.

"Thanks," Kynarus said, smiling and playing along with her joke, "I pride myself upon that fact."

Katherine simply managed a quick laugh before the pair fell silent again. Kynarus shifted his gaze towards the door, watching the many cars outside speed past and the many different looking pedestrians wander around. He sniffed the air, the smell of tobacco smoke getting up his nostrils and making his eyes water. He wiped them dry, still unsure of why so many humans enjoyed destroying their lungs by smoking. It seemed nearly all the men inside the bar and restaurant were doing it, letting clouds of smoke waft up to the ceiling. The front door was closed to keep out the cold air and it seemed the climate control systems were off since it was naturally warm inside. It was probably warm because of all the smoke although it did seem rather stuffy inside. Kynarus could feel himself sweating under his armour and realized he would probably start shivering if he went outside thanks to his sweat. So far his short time on Earth had showed him that the planet had crappy weather, polluted cities and lots of smokers.

"It's a bit hot in here, isn't it?" Katherine asked, sensing his uncomfortableness.

"You could say that," Kynarus replied.

"I _am_ saying it," Katherine said bluntly, tugging at her collar in a futile effort to ease the heat and stuffiness of the inside of the bar. She looked at Kynarus for a moment, shifting in her seat as if uncomfortable. Kynarus figured it was because of the heat and tobacco smoke although he was soon proven wrong when she spoke again.

"I need to use the toilet," she said, standing up from her seat, "I'll be back in a few minutes…maybe more. I think what I just ate isn't doing anything good for my bowels…"  
Kynarus nodded with the hint of a smirk on his face. Katherine simply shot him a harsh glance in response before turning around and heading off in the direction of the toilet blocks, disappearing from view past the corner of the hallway.

Left alone at the table Kynarus looked over at Katherine's dish of food, seeing that she had eaten most of whatever it had been she had ordered. As a consequence she would most likely end up stuck sitting on the toilet for quite some time. This was enough of a reason for Kynarus to make himself a bit more comfortable, sitting back in the chair as thoughts about the conversation he had just had with Katherine filtered through his mind. She did deserve to know about his past relationships and she seemed willing to tell him about hers. However, Kynarus didn't feel like they should be dwelling on such past events too much. There would be plenty of time for that sort of thing after they had dealt with Dieter and Schraeder. The nature of dealing with those two was definitely life-threatening but at the same time Kynarus and Katherine were the only two who could really do anything to stop them, with aid from Bradley to top it off. The three of them against a whole corporation seemed rather uneven but they were the only three with any inkling as to what Dieter and his new buddy Schraeder were planning.

Kynarus remained sitting and drinking, over the course of five minutes downing another two bottles of some sort of sweet and slightly alcoholic human beverage. To help pass the time till Katherine's return he decided to listen in on any nearby conversations and see whether they were interesting, although he hadn't a clue what most of the people were talking about. He wasn't familiar with the human languages of Spanish and Portuguese and so couldn't get much from those conversations.

In his eagerness to listen in on anything that might interest him he failed to notice the Zahni Corporation car park itself outside, followed by two vans. They pulled up outside the restaurant in plain sight of any nearby pedestrians and restaurant patrons and the sight of these vehicles was enough to incline some people to get up and leave. Kynarus didn't notice this until the Corporation goons were inside.

* * *

Kynarus turned his head, his heart almost skipping a beat when he saw the Zahni Corporation vehicles parked outside the bar and restaurant. It was then he realized that maybe a public place in Buenos Aires wasn't the safest location he and Katherine could be.

Already several of the more careful patrons in the restaurant had begun to get up and leave, familiar with the fact that when Corporation goons appeared it was best to leave the area. The citizens of Buenos Aires were rather used to Corporation bullying and knew full well what the Zahni Corporation was capable of and the power it exerted over the city. Kynarus hadn't been completely aware of just how much of a grip the Corporation had on this particular city and knew now that it must have been a fairly strong one. After all, the armed corporation goons (human ones at that, not synthetics) arriving now seemed to have no trouble marching into a crowded restaurant with stern expressions on their faces.

Kynarus knew immediately that they had come for him and found himself standing up. The first thing he knew he had to do was to go and find Katherine and warn her so the two of them could get out. After that they would just have to rely on their wits to escape although Kynarus knew that would be rather difficult. The Zahni Corporation did seem to have its name plastered all over the city so it was obvious they would have goons all over the place.

The thought struck Kynarus that maybe Hermann had told Dieter where he had gone but the turian soon realized that this was impossible since they had dumped Hermann long before they had worked out where to go. This meant that the Corporation had eyes and ears all throughout the city, a realistic thought considering the obvious power they had here.

Kynarus looked across the restaurant, taking in the scene around him. A lot of the male humans hadn't even noticed the arrival of the six or so armed goons that were making their way through the restaurant in his direction. Either that or these humans just didn't give a damn.

Three of the armed and armour-vested officers were coming down the left of the restaurant, pushing past people as they went while they kept their gazes fixed on the turian. The other three were coming down the right while two more made their way down the centre, keeping their eyes on the turian as they went. They carelessly pushed past innocent restaurant patrons as they went, receiving some insults but otherwise the citizens took the annoyance and didn't complain.

Kynarus realized that his escape options were limited, seeing that the officers had been smart enough to get in the way of each of his possible exits. This included the staircase up to the next level, the corridor towards the toilet block and the way to the kitchen. A few of the officers or "goons' as Kynarus preferred to call them had positioned themselves in the way of these exits while the others withdrew their side-arms and pointed them at him. This act was enough to get the attention of the other remaining patrons in the restaurant, some of the men removing their cigars and cigarettes from their mouths as they watched the scene unfold before them. Their gazes went from the lone turian to the eight or so armed Zahni Corporation officers, trying to determine the odds either side had. If there had been betting taking place most of it would have gone towards the goons winning.

The inside of the restaurant fell silent at this moment, the activities in the kitchen ceasing as the few chefs there decided to leave abruptly. Kynarus summed up what to do next, realizing he had no other choice but to wait and see what happened.

It was then a familiar sounding voice broke the silence, coming through a megaphone from somewhere outside the restaurant. It was a voice Kynarus hadn't been expecting to hear today and it surprised him a little but he kept his composure, even if he was completely unarmed. He had never liked going anywhere without a gun but he had been forced to abandon his weapons on Mars since it would have been impossible to get them through the spaceport there.

"_Kynarus Vakarian, we meet yet again!"_ Dieter exclaimed this in a mocking tone, the volume suitably increasing as the man himself neared the entrance of the restaurant. He appeared through the windows, approaching the automatic sliding doors and pausing to look inside, a modern day megaphone held to his mouth. Kynarus could see that he was dressed in his usual grey-black outfit of a long-coat and trousers, a slightly brighter shirt underneath. Last time Kynarus had seen him at been back in the spaceport on Mars and Dieter had looked awfully pissed off then. He seemed his usual smiling self now though which could have been either a good or a bad sign. Maybe he wanted Kynarus alive and was pleased about it or maybe he was looking forward to killing the turian. It was hard to tell.

"_Any good citizens of Buenos Aires who happen to be in the restaurant should aid us in arresting the wanted turian criminal, Kynarus Vakarian,"_ Dieter said, the doors sliding pen before him. He lowered the megaphone, pleased with the attention some of the patrons of the restaurant had given him. He looked towards Kynarus, a sniding smile on his face. It was the type of smile that made Kynarus feel a little uneasy.

"There'll be a wholesome reward for anyone who helps us arrest this dangerous criminal," Dieter said, pointing a finger towards Kynarus, "so, what are you people waiting for? Get up and apprehend that turian!"

Kynarus realized what Dieter was trying to do and knew it probably wasn't such a good thing. Dieter was trying to get the citizens on his side and the temptation of a "wholesome reward" was a little too alluring for some. Three men in grey-white shirts and matching trousers stood up from their table off to Kynarus' left, all of them looking towards the turian with a sudden determination.

"You're Kynarus, ain't you?" One of the men said with a trace of a South American accent. Kynarus could see other everyday citizens arising to their feet, looking at him and seemingly willing to aid Dieter in apprehending him. This obviously meant Dieter wanted him alive, a fact that only marginally made Kynarus feel a little better.

Surrounded by potentially hostile forces and with nowhere to go Kynarus took a deep breath, forming his hands into fists and looking around at his foes. Those included the armed Corporation goons who seemed to be standing back, waiting for the inevitable brawl.

Kynarus peered towards Dieter, curious as to why he wanted him alive. Last time Kynarus had seen Dieter it had seemed rather obvious that Dieter wanted him and Katherine dead, having ruined his well-prepared plans with their constant meddling and resourcefulness. Maybe he just wanted to get entertained as he watched Kynarus fight it out with a bunch of disgruntled Buenos Aires civilians, a probability that seemed awfully realistic.

"How did you find me, Dieter?" Kynarus heard himself ask moments before he realized he was doing it. There was too much on his mind for him to really have a hearty conversation right now.

Dieter laughed his usual, sinister-sounding laugh that indicated he was pleased with himself and what he had achieved.

"You don't understand, do you?" Dieter asked, chuckling, "we _own_ this city, Kynarus. We own its police force, its fire brigade, its hospitals…everything aside from private establishments such as this hotel." He gestured to the room around him, his eyes filled with pleasure about his obvious power here in the city. What he was saying seemed to explain the constant Zahni Corporation presence and the fact their name was all over the place, from advertisements to streetlight poles.

"I sort of figured that," Kynarus said, growing increasingly uneasy as he counted the amount of civilians seemingly willing to go against him. There were at least twelve of them, most of them middle-aged men dressed typical Buenos Aires clothing and smoking cigars and cigarettes.

"We could buy all the private establishments but we prefer to give the citizens of this city some freedoms," Dieter said, "after all, I'm not a power-hungry monster."  
Kynarus huffed when he heard this. Dieter seemed the type of person who could kill a person without so much as batting an eyelid if it meant getting what he wanted, although Kynarus realized then that he wasn't so different. He had killed plenty of people in the past and had left unaffected, a quality he wasn't particularly fond of but had developed during his years as a mercenary. To be a mercenary you had to get hardened towards killing and Kynarus had, in the process losing most of his remorse for his actions.

"Why do you want me alive? Did you have a sudden change of heart?" Kynarus asked while preparing his body for the fight to come. If he was going down he would do it while putting up a struggle. The last thing he needed was to be captured by Dieter again, especially after what had happened during the last two times. First it had happened on the Citadel and that had lead to a rather painful interrogation. Then it had happened again before he had ended up on Mars and as a result he had been forced to become a pawn in Dieter's scheme to breakout Schraeder from a Mars prison.

"Schraeder has sensed the potential in you," Dieter said, "I just know you're not going to come quietly. That's why I brought some of my friends along to help out, as well as using my persuasive skills on the citizens here."  
He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. Kynarus wasn't quite sure about what Dieter meant by Schraeder "sensing the potential" in him but wasn't in much of a position to demand a solid explanation.

"You would save us a lot of trouble if you cooperated," Dieter said, "but for some reason I just know you won't do that. Unless, of course, I'm wrong…"

"You're right," Kynarus interrupted in a blunt fashion, receiving a raised eyebrow from Dieter, "I'm not going to come quietly. If you want me alive so badly, you're going to have to come and do it yourself. I'm not just going to cooperate with an asshole like you."

Dieter looked offended for a moment but this look soon left his face. With a nod of the head his officers moved forward, weapons raised. Kynarus assumed their weapons were loaded with non-lethal ammunition; otherwise there would be no point in using them if they wanted him alive. Killing him wouldn't do them any good, he knew that. That would be the case if they really did want him alive, it was hard to tell if Dieter was being serious about it or not.

It was one of the citizens who struck the first blow. He was a middle-aged man with greying hair and wrinkled features, a result of years of smoking and doing little about its effects. He raced up towards Kynarus within a few seconds during the silence that followed Kynarus' refusal to cooperate, the man connecting a surprisingly powerful right hook into the side of Kynarus' hard exo-skeletal face. The middle-aged man seemed surprised when he received the most pain as a result of the punch, bringing back his hand and rubbing it vigorously to ease the pain. Kynarus only felt a sharp jab, his hard turian features absorbing most of the blow.

In retaliation Kynarus ruthlessly grabbed the man by the collar, catching sight of the Corporation goons raising their weapons. Kynarus held the man in front of him like a shield as he used one foot to kick over a nearby table, the glasses and plates on it smashing onto the tiled floor. The officers fired their rifles, stun rounds lacing through the air and pelting the human Kynarus was using as a shield. He shouted in pain, going limp in Kynarus' strong grip but otherwise absorbing all the rounds that came in the way of the turian.

Dropping his human shield when there was a lull in the shooting, Kynarus dived behind the overturned table as another pair of middle-aged men lunged in his direction. Both came at Kynarus from the left as the rifles fired again, pummelling the front of the overturned table with non-lethal stun rounds which did little to damage the table itself. One of the men came lunging straight towards the turian and Kynarus simply moved out of the way of his lunge, the human's forward momentum making it hard for him to stop. Kynarus helped him along by pushing him in the back, sending him crashing onto a nearby table and sending plates, glasses and cutlery clattering onto the floor. The other human was standing back, reaching for a wine bottle from the closest table and smashing it against the side of the table, creating a jagged and rather dangerous looking weapon.

Dieter was shouting by now, obviously agitated at the lack of success anyone was having and had decided to take matters into his own hands. He had started storming towards the turian, a determined look on his face as he ignored the groups of humans making their way towards the turian.

"Shoot the turian and not the civilians!" Dieter shouted at his officers, stopping a few metres from the front of the overturned table. Kynarus popped up from behind, grabbing hold of the human with the smashed wine bottle and with relative ease threw him over the top of the table. He came flying towards Dieter but the Corporation leader simply sidestepped, allowing the civilian to smash his head against the side of a table. This left a bloody red smear on the stained wood of the table and the civilian's motionless body slumped onto the floor.

Yet again Kynarus was proving to be too much to handle. For once Dieter was doubting the orders Schraeder had given him about taking the turian alive, realizing that they would be better off killing him and his human girlfriend.

Now that Dieter was too close to Kynarus his officers weren't firing and instead were trying to move into a better position, trying to get a shot past the civilians that were rushing towards the turian.

Kynarus stood up and went running for the bar, punching a middle-aged bearded Argentinean in the face as he came charging towards the turian with raised fists. The Corporation officers pulled the triggers of the rifle and began firing again, spraying the bar with rounds with a reckless abandon while failing to hit their intended target. Kynarus was behind the bar within seconds, out of sight and in a much easily defendable position.

Dieter watched for movement at the bar while the remaining seven civilians had started to head for it. He was surprised to see Kynarus come up with a full bottle of wine in his left hand, diving onto the floor as the turian threw the bottle with surprising force towards him. It hit the floor and smashed apart, spilling expensive wine across the light-brown tiles.

From then on Kynarus started throwing bottles and glasses, a few hitting some of the disgruntled civilians in the heads and knocking them out. Dieter's officers opened fire but Kynarus was back behind the bar, the turian making his way around and into the kitchen.

Now in the kitchen, Kynarus could see the back entrance which probably led into some sort of alleyway. Anywhere would be better than here so he started for it, just as a pair of the Corporation goons came running into the kitchen. The close quarters of the cramped kitchen hindered their movement, Kynarus taking advantage of this by picking up a frying pan from a nearby stove and throwing it at one of the officers. It hit him in the head with considerable force and he fell over, landing on a grill and screaming when he found it had been left on. Even the fish fillets on it had overcooked after the chef's hurried escape earlier and the officer seemed to pass out, falling off of the grill and onto the floor.

The other officer opened fire with his rifle by Kynarus was too close to simply let him shoot him. Instead, he reached out and pushed the rifle away as the officer pulled the trigger, the rounds spraying out of the kitchen and hitting another two of the officers out in the restaurant. They both fell, rendered unconscious by the stun rounds.

Kynarus finished off the officer by grabbing the side of his head and somewhat remorselessly began to pound his head against the bench on his right, blood seeping from cuts on the officer's head with each slam. The officer was unconscious after a few hits and Kynarus, seeing this, simply let go of the officer and let him fall to the floor. The turian turned his attention to whoever else had decided to try their luck, seeing with some surprise that Dieter was the one who entered the kitchen next.

"You should just cooperate with us, Kynarus," Dieter said, eyeing the turian carefully. He didn't seem to think that Kynarus would be much of a threat, looking at him with noticeable confidence. "It'll be for your own good…"  
"Oh yeah, sure," Kynarus said with complete sarcasm, "I'm certain it would. How about you and I just get this over with already?"

Dieter shook his head, as if pitying Kynarus' choice of action. Kynarus didn't like this but stood his ground, waiting for Dieter to make the first strike.

"You have no idea what's coming, Kynarus," Dieter said, his voice taking on a far more serious tone, "the imminent fate of all the galaxy's races. What I'm trying to achieve will make sure that humanity stands some chance…and I think that there's a spot for you in this salvation, Kynarus, as well as one for Katherine. The two of you would make an excellent addition to our organization and thus deserve to be saved…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kynarus had heard enough of this sort of talk from Dieter, Schraeder and a few others before. He had no idea what "fate" or "destruction" they were referring to and knew better than to believe a bunch of crackpots. Dieter was obviously not in his right mind and hadn't been for some time.

"I'm going to give you one more chance to cooperate with me, Kynarus," Dieter said, completely ignoring the turian's question, "otherwise I'll have to forcefully subdue you. I really don't want to do that, not after you've proved your worthiness to be part of our cause…"

Kynarus had heard enough of this crap. He stepped forward and swung with a left hook, going straight for the Austrian's face. However, he was completely put off guard when Dieter, with lightning fast speed, deflected the punch and grabbed Kynarus' arm. He kept it held while he kicked with amazing speed his right foot into the turian's gut, letting go of his left arm to allow Kynarus to stumble further.

Kynarus shouted; he hadn't been prepared for this. Sure, he hadn't been expecting Dieter to be a simple pushover but he hadn't known that Dieter was more than a cunning and ruthlessness. The human seemed very adept at close quarters combat and Kynarus suddenly doubted his chances in this fight. He was sent stumbling backwards from Dieter's kick, left completely open for another strike which Dieter connected to the side of the turian's face with his right fist. He didn't seem at all affected by the turian's hard features, instead following up with another kick which connected with Kynarus' left knee and sent him falling forwards onto his knees.

Kynarus was aching from where he had been hit, his jaw aching and tenderised from the punch that had connected with his face there. He looked up at the smiling Dieter who seemed not at all bothered by the fact that they had just been fighting. Instead, he peered down at the exhausted turian and patted him on the right shoulder in an irritatingly friendly manner.

"There, there," Dieter said mockingly, "you seriously didn't think I would be so easy to beat in a fight like my officers were?" He paused for a moment to let his words sink in. Kynarus kept a straight face, refusing to give Dieter the satisfaction of a response.

"Don't worry about a thing from here on, Kynarus," Dieter said, reaching into a pocket in his jacket and retrieving a syringe filled with a clear liquid. He removed the safety cover from the needle and squeezed the depressor on the bottom gently, satisfied with the results as some of the liquid squirted out. Kynarus had a feeling what was coming but wasn't given too much time to resist, Dieter jabbing it into the slightly more tender skin in the side of the turian's neck. For a moment there was a slight jab of a pain before Dieter removed the syringe, throwing it to the floor now that it was empty.

"You'll be quite willing to help us once we've finished with you," Dieter said, "we do, after all, have something special planned for you and your friend, Katherine." Dieter chuckled, as if the thought amused him. Kynarus didn't share the amusement but wasn't even able to reply, his muscles going limp and unresponsive on him at that instant. He slumped forwards, landing near Dieter's booted feet and catching a glimpse of the irritating smile that the human was making. It was the last thing Kynarus saw before he fell unconscious.


	36. Reprogramming

**Location: **Zahni Corporation Main Headquarters, somewhere south of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Now with a splitting headache and in a disgruntled mood, Kynarus Vakarian found himself returning to consciousness and immediately realizing he shouldn't have. He groaned: he hadn't had a headache like this for a while. His vision was taking its time to clear but he could make out many blurry figures standing some distance away, against a backdrop of grey and blue. Bright white lights were at the ceiling of this room and it was then Kynarus knew he wasn't anywhere he should be.

Yellow suited figures, about two of them, were standing near where he found himself seated. One was fiddling with something at his wrist and as Kynarus' vision returned to its normal state the turian was able to make out what it was. It was some sort of metal claw which the yellow-suited men strapped around his wrist, effectively holding his hand against the arm of the large metal chair he was seated in.

Kynarus turned his head and saw off to his left about three more of the yellow-suited figures, now realizing that they were lab technicians from their outfits and seeing the Zahni Corporation logo on the backs of their uniforms. He could see Katherine, held down in a similar chair, her head close to a large circular plate at the top of it. She was wide awake and was struggling against the metal claws holding her hands and legs in place. She spat at one of the lab technicians but he simply ignored her, wiping away the spittle off of his yellow lab coat with one sleeve as he went about fiddling with a panel lined with buttons and switches. This panel was positioned next to the menacing looking chair.

Kynarus realized he must have been stuck down in a similar chair and had no idea just what it was for. He could make out the figures standing at the other side of the room and all were watching him, one of which seemed rather pleased while another seemed only a little annoyed.

Kynarus went about gathering in as much about his current situation as he could. He remembered the brawl in the bar and restaurant all too well and could remember that Dieter had injected him with something, presumably some sort of anaesthetic to knock him out long enough to bring him to wherever the hell he was now. He looked around what seemed to be a laboratory, a few windows off to the far right of the room had their blinds drawn but through the gaps Kynarus could see a fairly good view of the plains and forest outside.

_Where the hell am I?_ Kynarus tried finding any sort of answer to this question, noticing the Corporation logos on the lab technician's uniforms and seeing the pair of Corporation officers standing guard at the door on the far left of the room. He knew then where he was and for some reason he didn't like this one bit.

He was in the Zahni Corporation's headquarters, located outside of Buenos Aires somewhere. That would explain the natural scenery visible through the windows and why it seemed to be raining heavily outside. It would also explain why Kynarus felt a little worried, knowing that he seemed to be at the full mercy of the Corporation and whatever they planned to do with him. He didn't like the idea of being tied up onto some sort of chair with a plate covered with electrodes and flashing lights directly behind his head and so he started to struggle, feeling the metal clamps at his wrists and ankles while trying to find if they would budge. It was a surprise when the one on the left did, if only slightly. He swallowed, deciding to wait and see what happened before he tried exploiting this little flaw. The last thing he needed was to get shot to pieces by the guards as soon as he had escaped from the chair.

He gazed towards the figures watching him and then Katherine with some curiosity. They must have captured Katherine a short time after they did him, she probably wouldn't have gotten far from the restaurant before being found by a Zahni Corporation patrol. She seemed to be in as much danger as he was right now and it was enough to make Kynarus quite annoyed with himself. He had been stupid to get into a fight in the restaurant in the first place, especially against Dieter who had proved himself that he was no pushover in a fight. In fact, he had easily overpowered the turian and didn't even seem to have received any sort of injury during the fight. Kynarus had been the one to get beaten up this time around, something that proved that even a turian like Kynarus had his limits.

Dieter was among the group watching him, a slightly annoyed look on his face. If Kynarus wasn't mistaken he could be sure that Dieter had preferred to simply kill him and Katherine rather than let them live for what appeared to be some sort of experiment. The fact that Kynarus found himself in a laboratory was more than enough to make him a little nervous and thus he didn't like to think about what it was Dieter had planned for him.

Unless, of course, Dieter wasn't the one who had planned it. Rather, it seemed that Schraeder had been the one to do such a thing. He was the one smiling a sinister looking smile, looking towards Kynarus and changing his expression to a snide smirk. Kynarus remembered the rather angry Schraeder from the last time they had met, remembering how he had shot the human through the leg during his attempts to prove his point to Dieter so he could get Katherine back. Well, Kynarus had figured that Schraeder would never have forgiven him for that but for some reason he seemed to have done so and as well as that he was standing up straight with no trace of impaired walking due to the previous bullet wound. Looking at where he had shot the human, Kynarus could see that the injury site was covered up with the human's trousers, implying that maybe it had been only a minor wound after all.

To the right of Schraeder was someone Kynarus hadn't been expecting to see for a while at least. Rellin Kia'Shan was standing near the lead human, a scowl on his half-synthetic face implying that he didn't seem to take too kindly to Kynarus being here as well. He was dressed in some heavy-duty looking body armour, looking sort of like the Corporation armour Kynarus had been stuck wearing since arriving on Mars days before. Perhaps Rellin was being sent off on some sort of dangerous mission? It was impossible to work out just why he was dressed in such heavy duty material but Kynarus didn't really care either. He didn't like Rellin and could see that the hatred was shared with the older turian.

To Rellin's right was Hermann Holst, still in his coat and still on crutches. He didn't seem too interested in watching the turian and his human friend get strapped into these mysterious metal chairs and seemed more interested in leaving. His eyes were gazing towards the door every now and then, enough to imply he didn't share Dieter and Schraeder's fascination in whatever was going to follow.

And to Hermann's right was Heinrich Walstedt, the apparent "businessman" of the bunch who Kynarus had had a go at interrogating back on the Citadel. That interrogation hadn't ended especially well for Kynarus since Rellin had showed up and subdued him, Kynarus waking up on board Dieter's frigate hours later while it was en route to Mars. He seemed especially pleased at whatever was going to happen to Kynarus and Katherine, rubbing his hands together with anticipation before putting a hand on the railing in front of him and tapping his fingers impatiently. His gaze sometimes fell onto Katherine and Kynarus could see the noticeable liking he had for her, something which made the turian quite angry. He started moving the loose clamp that was around his wrist but was doing it slowly and carefully so that it made hardly any noise and thus brought no attention to himself.

And finally, at the end of the group was someone which Kynarus had to do a double take to be sure who it was. When he did realize who it was he was overcome with enough anger that he felt standing up and charging at the human (if he wasn't strapped into this chair). Instead, he took a deep breath and tried gathering himself as he started thinking why he hadn't noticed this earlier.

It was Bradley, standing with the other Corporation assholes with a smug grin. He saw Kynarus' gaze fall upon him and he just shrugged innocently before using a hand to smooth out a crease on one sleeve of his white suit jacket. It was surprising to see him here, on the side of the bad guys, but Kynarus knew he had been stupid to not have seen it earlier.

That was when it hit the turian. Not an object but a realization, one that made him angrier than he already was. Seeing Bradley standing there, watching him with one of the most annoying smug grins he had ever seen had been enough to light a spark inside of him. Now that Kynarus could see that everything made more sense simply fuelled that spark into a full fire.

The reason they had been able to get off of Mars was because of Bradley and his contact with the forger. The reason they had been able to get past Customs at the spaceport in Buenos Aires had been because of Bradley. It shouldn't have been so easy to get off of Mars and get to Earth but thanks to Bradley it had all been seemingly routine and straightforward. Bradley had seemed friendly, if not a bit stupid, but Kynarus and Katherine needed all the help they could get. Bradley knew that and so did…

_Dieter…_

Dieter and his buddies had known all along about Kynarus and Katherine's situation. Whatever part of the plan had changed had ensured that Dieter, or at the very least, Schraeder, had wanted the two of them alive. Why was currently beyond Kynarus, he had no idea and neither did Katherine. The reason had been important enough for Dieter to arrange Bradley to come along and befriend the pair, helping them get off of Mars and to Earth. Bradley had been a timely acquaintance, arriving in Kynarus and Katherine's lives at a time when they needed his help most. It had almost been too good to be true.

_It had been too good to be true._ Kynarus felt like slamming his head into the nearest wall, realizing how stupid he had been to accept Bradley so easily. _I was so stupid to not see it…_

Kynarus eyed Bradley carefully, making sure his anger and his dislike of the human were made perfectly clear in the agitated scowl he directed towards him. Bradley shrugged again, bearing his pearly white teeth in a smile that made Kynarus shudder to the core. Not because it was menacing or sinister in any way but because it was so damn _annoying_.

It had only been about a minute since Kynarus had come to and once he had taken in each of the Corporation head honchos and Bradley he turned his head to look at Katherine. Seeing her in the same vulnerable position as he was only helped to fuel his rage but he managed to keep himself calm and controlled on the outside, letting the fury burn inside of him rather than take it out on whatever he could around him.

"Kynarus…" Katherine turned to him, her head movement restricted by the metal head-piece that one of the technicians routinely put on the back of her head, "they got you too, did they?" She swore under her breath before shooting a hateful scowl at Dieter. "What the hell do you want with us, Dieter?"

Dieter was dressed in his usual dark coat and matching trousers, this time sporting a cap that bore the eagle wings insignia of the Zahni Corporation (_"Soaring humanity through the stars…with the best equipment available…"_ was just one of the many crappy slogans of the Corporation) and with the same grey-black design as the rest of his outfit. He lost his rather morbid frown and simply shook his head, not so much in pity but more because he really had nothing to do with her current situation. Sure, he might have apprehended both her and Kynarus but in fact he had only been following orders. Those orders had come straight from Schraeder who had taken command of the current operation much to Dieter's discontent.

"Don't give me that look, Miss Tyler," Dieter said in his usual charming manner. He brought his hands together, as if in anticipation, rubbing them excitedly as he nodded towards the chair she was strapped into. "After all, you should feel honoured. You're about to become the first official test subjects for our new memory implantation machine…"

"What?" Katherine couldn't keep the bewilderment out of her voice. Kynarus had to admit: what Dieter was saying sounded pretty stupid. Memory implantation machine? What the hell was that supposed to mean?

It was safe to assume the chair and the many devices that were on the plate behind their heads were in fact part of the "memory implantation machine". Kynarus couldn't do much about the lab technician who walked over and put the same sort of metal headpiece Katherine had on onto the back of his head, simply shooting a mean scowl at the technician who quickly shied away once the deed was done.

Schraeder, dressed in a grey Corporation officer's uniform with red shoulder patches, stepped forward and put a hand on the railing in front of him. From where he was standing they could gaze around the entire laboratory with ease, giving them an excellent view of what was to come. Schraeder seemed to be in charge now, a fact that Kynarus duly noted. This hinted at a shift in power within the Corporation but Kynarus could do little to exploit it now, considering he was clamped into a nasty looking chair and about to have God-only-knew-what done to him. He didn't like laboratories; they had always been a place he had had a strong dislike for. They were the type of place where often unsavoury experiments occurred, the types of experiments that never found their way into the news.

This laboratory seemed to be no different to the others Kynarus had been in. During his time as a mercenary he had come across a few, usually drug labs or ones that belonged to rival organizations that his employer wanted him to "get rid of". It was during these occasions that he had come across all manner of experimentations, such as the one time he had to kill a bunch of batarian scientists who were experimenting on innocent subjects in order to try and create a biological weapon…

"I was the one who ordered you two to be brought here," Schraeder said, speaking in an authoritative but stern tone. He looked at Kynarus without a hint of the previous dislike the turian had seen in him during the time they had been stuck with each other on Mars. Usually when someone shot you in the leg you had a dislike of them, but this time around Schraeder didn't seem to have a grudge against Kynarus. If he did have a grudge he certainly wasn't showing it. He seemed to be in a more "straight-to-business" mood.

"I would like to welcome you both to the very centre of the Corporation," Schraeder continued, spreading his arms and gesturing to the lab and building around them. Kynarus wasn't impressed and would have found it hard to be anyway seeing as he had just woken up from hours of unconsciousness. He hadn't seen much of the building save for this laboratory.

Kynarus wasn't really listening to Schraeder; instead he couldn't help but watch Bradley. The human had now turned his attention to Schraeder in order to listen to what the big boss had to say but was still wearing that idiotic grin. Kynarus felt like smashing his head in, just so he could get rid of that idiotic smile…

"You both are in the main headquarters of the Zahni Corporation," Schraeder boasted, sounding proud of the Corporation. He certainly had a right to be seeing as the Corporation seemed to be everywhere, on all known worlds and a few unknown ones. At least, that's what Kynarus had heard about this particular Corporation but otherwise he knew very little about them. He did know that they wanted that mysterious package and were willing to kill to get it and he also knew they had a dangerous rivalry with the Cerberus group. Otherwise Kynarus had been spending the past few weeks fighting an enemy he knew little about. It struck him as kind of strange but he realized it just came with the territory.

"We started off small, concentrating solely on gathering loyal fighters in order to grow and spread," Schraeder said, gazing briefly at the ceiling as he reminisced about past times, "way back in 1946, after the Second World War, several of our founders had been forced to flee the country known as Germany and come here, to Argentina…"

"Hang on one fucking second," Katherine interrupted, receiving a blatantly annoyed glare from Schraeder, "are you saying that this Corporation was founded by a bunch of…"

"Shut up and don't interrupt me!" Schraeder exclaimed angrily. Katherine fell silent, occasionally struggling against the clamps that held her in place but otherwise she did little else. She wasn't in much of a position to put up a fight or a decent argument, although what Schraeder was saying had piqued Kynarus' curiosity somewhat. The turian wasn't quite sure what this

"Second World War" was or when 1946 had been, but he assumed it had something to do with human history. This was one subject he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about.

"As I was saying, the Corporation began as a small organization dedicated to researching advanced technologies. For years we operated in secret, funded by contacts in the country's government until, back in the early 22nd century, we were able to become known in the public as the Zahni Corporation. Don't ask me who came up with the name, though.

"Since then we've supplied our own private armies with some of the most advanced weaponry and equipment in existence. We've been dedicated to giving humanity an edge over its interstellar alien rivals in this regard but we are yet to organize complete shipments of our weapons and equipment to the Alliance. So far we've kept it to ourselves, since we've been rather busy during the latest operation…"  
"Let me guess," Kynarus said, making the turian equivalent of a frown. Schraeder seemed to be proudly boasting about the Corporation and would possibly get to whatever point he was trying to make soon enough but Kynarus thought he would interject, just to make it look like he had been listening. No need to annoy the big boss anymore.

"The package is what you've spent all this time looking for? I'm right, aren't I?" Kynarus looked towards Schraeder, hoping for some proper answers in regards to the very thing everyone in the room seemed to be after. Quite typically, Schraeder simply nodded and gave a rather simple answer.

"Yes, that's right," he replied, "and I just happen to know where it is. Once we're done here we'll be heading straight to where I left it."

Kynarus knew he was onto something, especially since Schraeder seemed so willing to disclose this sort of information. No one else in the room seemed bothered by it, perhaps implying that Kynarus should be worried about whatever they were planning to do to him.

"You see Kynarus, you and Katherine have proven to be such a resourceful pair that I've decided to keep you alive," Schraeder said, "people like you would do well to work for us. I'm hoping I'll be able to convince you here and now but I have a feeling that won't be possible…"

"You bet it won't," Kynarus said sternly. He had no intention for working for a bunch of scheming, sinister people who had nothing better to do than to go on some wild goose chase for some mysterious package. Besides, he didn't like Dieter or Schraeder.

Schraeder simply smiled in response to this remark, nodding in an understanding fashion. He had been expecting such an answer, thus the reason why he had brought the two of them here and had them clamped into the mysterious and experimental chairs.

"I had a feeling that would be your response to such a proposition," Schraeder said, "which is why I had you both brought here. You should both feel honoured, as Dieter said, since you are both about to be the first recipients of a new form of technology that I hope will take the Corporation into a much prosperous future."

He gestured towards the chair Kynarus was clamped into with one hand, smiling broadly. Kynarus wasn't sure what they had planned for him but he didn't like the sound of it, gently forcing the loose clamp against his left hand further and further out of where it was screwed on while Schraeder rambled on.

"You are both seated in what I like to call 'mind adjustment machines'. We haven't come up with an official name yet since they're still in their early prototypes, but I'm sure you can get the gist of it from the temporary name."

Kynarus was a little bewildered about it all, unable to quite pinpoint just what Schraeder meant by a "Mind adjustment machine". That was when he remembered something that had been said a while ago, back in Chora's Den on the Citadel during his first meeting with Colonel Sommers. The Colonel had been talking about the Zahni Corporation and mentioned a few of the things it researched…

"_Thing is, they've been doing some work for the Alliance for some time now on mind altering technology…"_

The Colonel's American accented voice filtered into the turian's mind briefly as he remembered what the Colonel had said. The truth was that the Corporation wasn't working for the Alliance. They were independent from everyone which may explain why they had been able to research such things without getting anyone else's direct attention. Even the Colonel could be wrong at times, it seemed.

What did that mean for him and Katherine then? Did it mean that they were about to get on the receiving end of this "Mind altering technology"?

Whatever it meant Kynarus wasn't willing to find out. He knew he had to escape somehow and began summing up his options, realizing that even if he somehow managed to break free it would be too easy for the guards and the technicians to subdue him again. It would be even easier if Schraeder, Dieter and their friends were inside the laboratory as well.

"These machines are the epitome of the Corporation's research," Schraeder continued, "we have been trying to find an easier way to get loyal followers and it occurred to me that what better way than to alter their minds so that anyone subjected to treatment by one of these machines was indefinitely loyal? It seemed so simple, yet a goal so out of reach.

"Research into this sort of thing had been going on for a number of years but it wasn't until recently that we actually made some progress," Schraeder said, "and now, after a few failed tests, we think we have made suitable progress for a successful trial run."

Kynarus didn't like the sound of this. Failed tests? What was that supposed to mean? Had there been others before him that had been strapped into one of these chairs, only for the "treatment" to go wrong?

"And so, Kynarus, you and Miss Tyler will be the first and definitely not the last to receive this sort of treatment. We're certain you'll live through it with all your brain cells intact, although with science you can never be sure…"  
Dieter stepped forward, receiving a nod from Schraeder which was more or less the signal to start explaining things in a little more detail. Kynarus was both nervous and curious but he knew he would have to escape somehow. He certainly didn't think waiting around for much longer would help.

Dieter thought about what to say for a moment before speaking, a smile crawling onto his lips. It was one of his more pleased smiles but it still had the capacity to annoy the turian, giving him just one more reason to try and escape. If he escaped, he might be able to get rid of Dieter once and for all.

"What Schraeder is saying is that you two will be subjected to a specially made program via the chairs you are sitting in and the many devices attached to it. Your minds will be altered into what we want them to be, effectively giving you new identities." His gaze went to Kynarus, noticing that the turian had suddenly tensed up. Katherine, meanwhile, had begun to struggle against the clamps but to no avail.

"Kynarus, you and Miss Tyler will become loyal followers of the Corporation," Dieter said with a smile, "we've decided that since we can't get rid of you two we'll just make you join us. Since convincing you both is out of the question, we're just going to have to make you _want_ to join us. I hope that's clear enough for you both…"

"So…you're going to change our minds? How the hell is that even possible?" Kynarus was nervous now. He knew that if Dieter was telling the truth, and it certainly sounded like he was, then perhaps Kynarus and Katherine had come to the end of their long journey. They would end up henchmen (or a henchwoman, in the case of Katherine) and they wouldn't even begin to think that they had once been the two people going against the Corporation. It seemed so unbelievable that such a thing was possible but Kynarus had seen a lot of things during recent times that had made him question what he should believe in and what he shouldn't. One thing had been Schraeder's apparent "abilities" but Kynarus was still sceptical. Right now though he had more pressing issues on his mind, like how he was going to get out of this one.

"The wonders of technology, Kynarus," Dieter replied, "after all, the mind is simply electrical impulses and such. Why would it not be possible to alter them?"

Dieter made a good point, one that made Kynarus believe that he was now in one hell of a predicament. He wasn't entirely sure how he would escape but the loose clamp had given him something to work with.

It made sense that they would want someone like him to work for them. So far he and Katherine had provided them with them with plenty of trouble, probably annoying Dieter but suitably impressing Schraeder from what he had been able to tell. Perhaps Schraeder had finally decided that they would be useful to them although Kynarus didn't like the idea of having his mind played around with. That sort of thing made him uneasy.

"The trouble is that the machines you are in are just prototypes. We are yet to perfect it and so far we've only tested on human brains, not turian ones. We're sure the differences won't be particularly major but even so, there is a chance that you'll end up lobotomized." Dieter didn't seem particularly concerned about this, simply shrugging before adding, "It'll be for the sake of research, of course."

Kynarus knew now that he would have to try his luck and escape. Having a go at getting out of here was certainly better than ending up a mindless vegetable or a loyal henchman of Schraeder. He could see Katherine was thinking the same thing since she had started to struggle against the clamps holding her in place, only to have one of the lab technicians walk over and hold her down in order to stop her from struggling.

"Perhaps you would like to know what new identities we plan to program in place of your current ones," Dieter asked, "It may give you an idea of what type of person you'll end up becoming."

Kynarus didn't answer and neither did Katherine. They were both too annoyed to really care about what Dieter had to say and as a result the Corporation head honcho went on to speak anyway.

"You, Kynarus, will become a high ranking officer in our unit of turian commandoes," Dieter said while he reached into a pocket and pulled out a carton of cigarettes. He flipped open the lid and removed one, putting the box back into his pocket and retrieving a lighter from another pocket. He placed the end of the cigarette into his mouth and lit the other end with the lighter, blowing gently into it before continuing his speech. He didn't seem too concerned about the whole memory altering procedure going wrong and it occurred to Kynarus that he probably didn't care about what happened to him.

"You will be loyal and will make an excellent squad leader," Dieter said, "you and your men will go on the most dangerous assignments in order to remove our rivals and cement the Corporation's reputation as an unopposed power.

"Katherine, on the other hand, will become a squad leader in our human commando group. She has the skills and the knowledge to make a good leader. And don't fret, either of you, because you'll be able to see each other most days when you're not on an assignment. You see, Schraeder and I have been kind enough to make sure your new personas still contain that obvious liking you two have for each other."  
He turned to Kynarus, noticing the turian's obvious anger at the whole idea of altering his mind. Dieter simply smiled his usual type of annoying but sinister smile and continued talking.

"You shouldn't be such a sourpuss Kynarus," Dieter said, "after all you'll be able to fuck Katherine almost every night. We'll be making her into not only a good soldier but an obedient girlfriend to you, my turian friend…."

"As all girlfriends and wives should be," Schraeder added, "obedient and loyal. Katherine will be just that."

Kynarus didn't actually want anyone to screw around with his mind and knew he would have to escape. Katherine was thinking the same thing although looking at her now he could sense some uncertainty in her, as if she saw their futile chances of escaping.

"Once you two have been successfully altered, feel free to come up to the top floor office suites and join us in a small party we're having," Dieter said, gesturing to the others to follow him as he started for the door. Bradley tagged along behind the group, most of whom were giving Kynarus and Katherine passive glances. They didn't care; half of the members of the group had received some sort of injury from the turian anyway.

"We're celebrating Schraeder's return," Dieter said as the door slid open. Schraeder smiled as he stepped through the door, managing a last glance at both Katherine and Kynarus before disappearing into the corridor beyond. Kynarus knew that the absence of that group would benefit whatever plans of escape he came up with. Schraeder and Dieter could have easily subdued Kynarus if he broke free but with them gone his chances of escape were suitably increasing.

"There'll be food and drinks," Dieter said as Rellin, Heinrich and Hermann shuffled past him, "be there or be square!" He smiled broadly, having shamelessly delivered a cliché before turning around and disappearing into the hallway beyond the lab's door. Kynarus would have tried his best to beat the crap out of Dieter but he was sort of stuck in the chair for now, minutes away from getting a possible lobotomy. If it all went well then he would wake up as someone entirely different, perhaps with the same past but definitely not the same opinion of the Corporation and its head honchos than before.

Bradley turned to look at Kynarus and Katherine only momentarily. He smiled at them again and Kynarus shot him a hateful glare, unable to quite fathom why Bradley was working for pricks like Schraeder and Dieter.

"What the hell Bradley?" Kynarus asked, noticing how the technicians had begun to fiddle with some of the computers over in the corner of the room. This was an obvious indication that they were preparing the machines to start the process of changing the turian's and Katherine's minds. He was still annoyed about how Bradley had been working for Dieter all along and had a feeling he wouldn't get much of a helpful explanation out of him.

"They're going to pay me a heck of a lot of money for helping to bring you two troublemakers in," Bradley said, "so…I'll be seeing you at the party Kynarus!" He laughed, starting out of the door and disappearing from view as it slid shut behind him.

Kynarus kept his anger controlled as he summed up his immediate options. Two of the lab technicians were seated at the bank of computers in the corner, keying in all sorts of commands and occasionally glancing over at Katherine and Kynarus. The other three technicians were adjusting panels on the machines behind the heads of the chairs and occasionally flicking switches on them. Lights began to flash on the panels on both Kynarus and Katherine's chairs, indicating that the process was getting started.

Kynarus started rattling the loose clamp, gently enough so that none of the technicians really noticed. One of the technicians seated at the bank of computers reached over to the nearby wall and pulled a lever, inclining Kynarus to brace himself for whatever was to come.

That was when a skull-splitting pain shot its way seemingly right into his brain, causing him to tense his muscles and writhe involuntarily in the seat. He yelled out in pain, able to see in the corner of his vision that Katherine was suffering from the same thing. The pain seemed to go right into the very depths of his mind and was enough to drive him into a desperate struggle to break free. He began rattling the loose clamp much stronger and louder this time, finding it hard to actually concentrate on any one thing due to the immense agony. He saw one of the lab technicians walk over and attempt to hold him down, followed by another. The two guards at the door started walking over, concerned looks on their faces when they saw the turian struggling against the machine.

"Don't move around so much," one of the technicians said, "it'll just hurt more otherwise…"

Kynarus clenched his jaw, trying to think straight but finding an act like that impossibly hard to do. He could feel the clamp at his left hand loosening now, the screws that had once held it in place coming loose from the arm of the chair itself. Gathering a bout of strength he lifted his left arm, his mind clouded with intense pain as he did so. The clamp came up with his hand and with a single swipe he brought one of the protruding screws jutting from the base of the clamp into the neck of one of the lab technicians. Blood squirted out from a small jagged hole in the jugular and the technician clutched at his throat with both hands, gargling loudly before falling over.

Kynarus immediately reached over with his free hand to his right hand which was still clamped to the chair, opening the clamp and removing the one that was still stuck around his left wrist. He reached up and pulled the headpiece away from his head, the pain immediately subsiding and making it much easier to concentrate. Thankful that he was still himself he fixed his attention onto the two guards, both of whom had removed their batons and were coming straight towards him.

Kynarus bent over and undone the clamps at his ankles, freeing himself from the machine entirely. He looked around and saw Katherine was still stuck in the chair, yelling as the machine sent intense pain straight into her skull. Before the turian could rush over and free her he was set upon by one of the other lab technicians, this particular technician having removed a fire extinguisher from the wall and was now preparing to use it as a sort of club. Kynarus simply avoided the technician's first lunge, grabbing him from behind and pushing his head straight into the metal plate of lights and panels that were behind the top of the now empty chair. Sparks flew and the technician screamed as his head went straight into a glass panel, smashing it and sending shards of class cutting into his face. To top it off there was still power flowing through the machine, the technician jerking about wildly as he was electrocuted.

Picking up the fallen fire extinguisher the technician had once gripped Kynarus then brought it round into the head of the first guard that came running towards him. There was a satisfying _thud_ and the guard fell, a big purple bruise on his temple. The other guard came from the turian's right with baton raised and disgruntled expression on his face. Kynarus found the trigger on the fire extinguisher and pulled it, sending a cloud of white smoke directly into the guard's face. He stumbled backwards, momentarily blinded while giving Kynarus a chance to punch him in the jaw.

With that guard down Kynarus turned around and raced over to where Katherine was seated. She was writhing about in the chair as it attempted to alter her very own mind. Kynarus only had to undo one of the clamps around her wrists before she did the rest herself, freeing herself from the machine just as the remaining three technicians were up and coming straight at them.

One of the technicians started racing for what looked to be an alarm switch on the wall. Rather than let the technician alert the entire building Kynarus took a moment to adjust his aim and threw the extinguisher across the room, hitting the technician in the side of the head and sending him falling onto the floor. By then the other two technicians were on them, fists up as they prepared to fight the escaping captives.

Being lab technicians they weren't exactly combat experts and it took only a few punches to send them onto the floor. When the dust had settled over the brawl and the pain in Katherine's head had subsided the pair exchanged glances, catching their breath and realizing just how close they had come to getting a total mind-change or lobotomy.

"You still yourself Katherine?" Kynarus asked. She certainly seemed her usual fiery-tempered self and she simply looked at him and smiled. The machines hadn't had the time to enact the earliest of the changes before the pair had escaped from them so as far as Kynarus could tell, Katherine was fine.

"Yeah, I'm myself," Katherine replied, sounding relieved. She had a right to be, any longer in that machine and she could have ended up a loyal follower of the Zahni Corporation. Or she could have ended up lobotomized; it was hard to figure out which alternative was the better one.

Looking around the lab, Kynarus stepped over to the unconscious pair of guards and knelt down to search them for anything useful. He took a sidearm from each of them, some sort of Zahni Corporation manufactured pistol that was more gunmetal grey than black. He handed one to Katherine and then stood back up, summing up their options.

They were both fairly certain that someone would come into the lab to check on them. When that happened chances are the entire base would be put on high alert and Kynarus was sure that would mean that plenty of Corporation goons would be arriving in this particular part of the complex when that happened. He and Katherine would have to leave now and move quickly, preferably avoiding getting caught on any surveillance cameras.

Looking around the room the turian couldn't see any which may explain the lack of an alarm siren that he had been expecting to sound at the first sign of their escape. It seemed safe to assume that the Corporation preferred to keep laboratories like this secret and so the absence of surveillance cameras would ensure anything done in this room remained secret to all except those directly involved.

He stepped over to the door which slid open as he approached, beyond it being a rather grey but brightly lit corridor. He could see a camera at both ends and so quickly ducked back into the lab and out of their view. He turned to look at Katherine who was standing a short distance behind him, pistol gripped in her right hand while she awaited his report about whatever was in the corridor.

"There's no one out there but I can see a few cameras," Kynarus said, trying to think of any way that could get them out of the lab without arousing suspicion. Katherine didn't seem too bothered, but then again she always seemed to keep herself level-headed in these kinds of situations.

"The guy watching the camera monitor's going to assume we've had our minds altered and are simply on our way to the office party we were invited to," she said, sticking her pistol underneath her brown-red jacket so that it was out of view. Kynarus nodded, realizing what she was getting at. "As long as we keep our guns out of sight we can probably make our way straight to the top level office suites without anyone taking any notice of us."  
It was obvious that Katherine had the intention of going up to the party and getting rid of Dieter once and for all, along with Schraeder and the rest of the goons. Kynarus did have his doubts about the whole idea but knew that their goals of removing the Corporation's leadership were within reach. They had a chance, probably one of their last, and it was probably best they take it.

Kynarus found a compartment at the back of his armour built for storing water canteens and stored his pistol away in there, making sure to close the compartment so that the weapon was out of sight but within easy reach. He realized that if they were heading up to the top floor of the complex then chances were there would be no turning back: when they killed Dieter and Schraeder then everyone in the complex would come after those responsible for the deaths of their leadership. It was possible neither Kynarus or Katherine would make it out of this alive but both of them knew there was no use in simply escaping and letting Dieter and Schraeder get away again. Katherine didn't seem too bothered by these thoughts and was more determined on getting rid of Dieter than anything else. He had almost killed her back on Talerian, after all.

"So, you want to go to the party?" Kynarus asked, swallowing his doubts and already knowing Katherine's response.

"It's probably best we don't keep Schraeder and Dieter waiting," Katherine said, pushing past the turian as she stepped out into the corridor, "besides, there's going to be food there and right now I'm feeling _really_ hungry."

Kynarus watched her as she confidently started down the corridor, managing a glance back towards him as she went. The look on her face was telling him to follow although neither of them really knew where they were going. Regardless Kynarus composed himself and started following her, prepared for whatever awaited them on the top floor. He could sense that the end of this battle with the Corporation was close; he just wasn't too keen on what the final result could turn out to be.


	37. Office Party

**Location: **Zahni Corporation Headquarters, somewhere south of Buenos Aires, Argentina

The rain was pouring down hard outside. It pattered against the windows while thunder sounded from somewhere distant, often preceded by a brilliant white flash of lightning. The typical Buenos Aires weather went far beyond the reaches of the urbanized areas, even out to where the Zahni Corporation had their headquarters complex.

The complex itself looked innocent enough, appearing as a twenty-storey office complex that covered a considerable tract of land. However, what occurred inside was far from innocent and most of the more secret research the Corporation conducted was undertaken in the many underground levels that went far beneath the surface.

The terrain around the complex had not changed for over a hundred years save for the removal of nearby farmers once the Corporation had bought up their land. Green, mostly green (but in parts yellowing) plains went out in all directions while distant hills were visible on the horizon. At this time it was only about noon, the time when most people here had lunch. However, the dark grey clouds that loomed overhead had darkened the day into night while a downpour drenched the landscape and flooded the lower-lying areas.

Ever since the start of the "global warming" process in the late twentieth century, the Earth's climate had continued to change until the introduction of new power sources such as element zero and ethanol. Some parts of the world had better climates than others and Argentina was one of the worst, even in the past Buenos Aires had been a heavily polluted city constantly releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The arrival of less polluting power sources could not prevent a permanent change of climate in and around the city which had given the region a near permanent overcast state. The city was almost constantly hidden beneath thick layers of clouds and quite often these clouds poured rain, sometimes acidic and dangerous to the environment. Even the plains around the complex were looking a bit dead and brown as a result of the polluted water. All in all, this part of Earth was the last place Kynarus had wanted to visit. For one thing, it wasn't giving the young turian a good impression of the human home-world.

He stood in a grey metal elevator, facing the single window at the rear of it. This particular elevator was built in the side of the headquarters complex and as a result the designers had implemented a window to provide a view of the "greenery" and "reasonable weather" outside. Harsh winds billowed across the plains and shook the few dying trees outside while a streak of lightning worked its way across the sky above. Kynarus was familiar to such events on his home world, Palaven, since there it was often hot and humid and as a result storms could be quite common. These storms on Earth were far different and more violent however, especially considering that the rain was often polluted and needed intense filtration to become drinkable.

Katherine stood in the elevator with him, the door closing behind her as she stepped in. She didn't seem too interested in the view through the window, managing a glance at it before turning around and looking at the control panel by the door. Pressing the necessary button the elevator started on its ascent up the side of the complex, moving along at a slow and steady pace.

So far the pair had managed to make their way through the building without arousing suspicion from any of the scientists, guards or technicians they passed by. None of the personnel seemed particularly interested in them or what the two of them were doing, probably either not caring or having been told about why they were here. The latter would mean that everybody here thought Kynarus and Katherine had been converted to loyal followers of the Corporation thanks to the mind altering machines and devices inside the laboratory that the pair had been previously held captive in. The door into the laboratory was a fair way through the hallways and corridors and seemingly no one had bothered taking a look inside just yet since no alarm bells were ringing. If anyone did take a look they would find a couple of dead lab technicians and a pair of unconscious guards.

Kynarus couldn't help but be worried about what those machines in the lab had done to his brain. His head ached considerably, inclining him to put a hand to his forehead and rub it slightly in an effort to ease the pain. It didn't help so he quickly stopped trying, simply leaving his head to ache and hoping he would be able to acquire some painkillers soon enough.

_Damn machines messed with my mind_. He closed his eyes involuntarily, feeling a sharp stab of pain shoot through his head like a bullet. It was enough to make him groan, catching Katherine's attention. She turned around to look at him, a concerned look on her face as she put a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright?" She asked. Kynarus turned around, simply nodding in response. He was certain he would live through a headache; he just hoped no permanent damage had been done.

"Headache, right?" She asked, taking her head off of his shoulder, "because I have one as well. Hurts like hell…"

"Probably just a side effect from those machines," Kynarus said, shaking his head in a futile effort to clear it, "I mean, seriously, the last thing I was expecting Dieter to do was try and reprogram our minds…"

"It wasn't Dieter's decision," Katherine said, correcting him, "it was Schraeder's. He seems to have taken a liking to our so-called 'resourcefulness' and thinks we'd make a welcome addition to his group as commandoes…"

"Resourcefulness?" Kynarus scoffed, almost laughing. He didn't really consider himself to be the resourceful and cunning type. Whenever he tried something "cunning" it usually backfired.

"I've just been making this up as I go along," Kynarus said, realizing just how lucky he was to have even made it this far. So many times luck had intervened and one way or another he had ended up living to fight another day. It seemed he was just a lucky turian, although that luck was sure to run out some time. It always did.

"So have I," Katherine said admittedly, "but that's the way I've always worked. No use making a plan beforehand if it's just going to get screwed up…"  
Kynarus had to disagree with her on that point but he didn't say anything to voice it, instead he just decided to let her continue talking while he tried to ease the ache in his head.

Kynarus had been trained as a soldier and had been taught that a good plan should incorporate any unexpected occurrences. That usually meant it would go wrong one way or another but Kynarus had been on missions that had followed a strict plan and gone along fine, it's just that as soon as he became a mercenary this plan-making ethic got figuratively tossed out of the nearest window. Katherine obviously didn't think the same thing, making one more thing the pair didn't have in common.

"Besides, we have no idea what's waiting for us on the top floor," Katherine added, sounding a little pessimistic, "they could be luring us straight into some sort of trap. That would explain why no one's taken much notice of us yet…"

"Or they could just be thinking we've been changed into the loyal followers Schraeder wanted us to become," Kynarus said, not at all put at ease by Katherine's pessimistic tone. She did look awfully determined though but she always seemed that way, always with a fire in her eyes and the energy to go with it. That was one reason why Kynarus felt the way he did about her.

Kynarus was a bit on edge and didn't need Katherine's pessimistic view to push him further over that figurative cliff. One thing that was gnawing at his mind like his headache was his anger over Bradley and what that human had turned out to be. Where Kynarus had once seen a potential (if not sort of stupid) friend and ally he now saw an enemy, one who had posed as a friend an ally back on Mars and had helped them get off of the red planet and to Buenos Aires.

Of course this had been all part of Dieter's plan by the look of it. He had planted Bradley in the hotel on Mars so he could conveniently encounter Kynarus and Katherine who just happened to be staying in the room next door. As well as that Bradley had been eager to help, even helping them in the firefight that had soon followed Kynarus' first meeting with the human.

Kynarus still felt like hitting his head against the nearest wall although managed to refrain from doing so. He doubted it would have helped the headache but it would have helped relieved the anger he felt towards himself for not having seen that Bradley had been too good to be true.

One thing that made Kynarus feel a little better was the fact that Bradley would most likely be up in the top floor with the rest of the Corporation's head honchos. It seemed convenient that all of them had gathered in the one place as if to make Kynarus' job of killing them all a bit easier. He was just hoping this chance would last seeing as this elevator ride was taking an awfully long time.

Katherine had fallen silent, probably thinking the same sort of thing although it was hard to tell. She had her usual no-nonsense demeanour on at this time, the sort of mood that she reverted to when she was about to enter a potentially dangerous situation. The party on the top floor was certain to be dangerous if Dieter and Schraeder were there, waiting for whom they believed to be the "changed' Kynarus Vakarian and Katherine Tyler. The two Corporation head honchos would be in for a nasty surprise when they found out the truth.

The light came to a halt at the top floor, the sudden ceasing in motion enough of a stimulus to bring Kynarus out of his thoughts. He composed himself and turned from the window and the dreary view of the outside it provided, watching as the elevator doors slid open. He half-expected several rifles to open fire and fill the inside of the elevator with a hail of bullets so he partially braced himself for what he figured would be his end. The bullets didn't come however and he eased only slightly, looking out into the open room beyond.

The room outside seemed to take up two floors, with windows above indicating that there was one more floor above the "top floor". Obviously the topmost floor wasn't on the elevator's panel although there was a roof button, not that many people would travel to the roof anyway.

The room itself was large with pillars underneath the extra floor, a few separate corridors winding off into areas out of view. Zahni Corporation guards wandered around on separate patrols while office workers in their Corporation uniforms made their way into one particular corridor. Obviously the party was in full swing in another part of this floor. Signs indicating its existence elsewhere included the sounds of some sort of background party techno music filtering through the corridors and the room. Above were a set of windows in the ceiling, rain pattering against them as thunder crashed above and lightning flashed.

Before she stepped out, Katherine turned around and for a moment the pair gazed into each other's eyes. Kynarus felt something inside him flutter nervously, realizing his feelings for the human were some of the strongest he had ever felt. If anything ever happened to her he would be at a loss for what he would do and hoped such a time never came.

"Well, we're here," she said while Kynarus found himself staring into her eyes. It had been a while since a moment like this and he decided to savour every last part of it since it could very well be their last time together. Either of them could end up dead by the end of today, the two of them knew that and both were willing to accept it.

"Before we go, I just want to tell you…" Katherine trailed off, struggling to find the right words to express what she wanted to say. Kynarus decided to say it for her.

"That you love me? Yeah well…" He trailed off as well, quite aware of how she felt about him. He felt the same way and they had told each other before, it just seemed that this time around could be their last time. He could see that she found his blatant admittance of her love for him amusing and he couldn't help but give a smile as well. All of a sudden his anxiety had gone (although his headache remained) and he found himself overcome with a wave of all-knowing confidence. This wouldn't be their last time to tell each other how much they loved each other, he was sure of it.

"I love you too," he said, "it's just that we'll have time for more detailed speeches later on. Right now we have to kill a bunch of assholes and I'm eager to get it over with."

Katherine smiled at his newfound confidence and turned around, starting out of the elevator while trying to look as normal as possible. Kynarus' newfound confidence in their possible success here didn't last too long and he was back to his on-edge and slightly anxious mood within minutes, following Katherine out of the elevator while trying hard to look as unsuspicious as possible. He doubted Schraeder was expecting some sort of autonomous order-following servant as a result of the mind-altering procedure (had it worked) and so Kynarus did think that looking normal was the best thing to do.

The large room seemed to be some sort of reception, a large sign behind the vacant reception desk reading in large blue letters "ZAHNI CORPORATION ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES". It seemed that these offices could very well be the places where Schraeder and Dieter did whatever it was they did, planning the Corporation's next big operation or organizing funds. It occurred to Kynarus then that he and Katherine were stepping right into the varren's nest and chances are getting the alpha varren (in this case, Schraeder) would be no easy task. It could probably be easier if they got him right where they wanted him, cornered and with nowhere to go.

Kynarus wasn't too sure who they should go for first: Schraeder seemed to have put himself in charge but was a loose cannon while Dieter had been calling the shots up until Schraeder's return and seemed to be a much more ruthless adversary. Kynarus knew it was the sort of matter he shouldn't be giving as much thought as he was but it was hard not to think about it, as well as all the things the two Corporation head honchos had mentioned. They had mentioned some sort of "imminent destruction" and "extinction", Schraeder more so than Dieter. Schraeder had also proven to have the uncanny ability to sense what Kynarus had been thinking as well as be a powerful biotic…

That was when Kynarus realized one rather important thing which had to do directly with Schraeder. It made him stop in his tracks, Katherine noticing this after she had made a few paces ahead of him. She stopped and turned around, looking towards her turian friend with some curiosity.

"Something else on your mind?" She asked, "Or did your headache just get worse? I know mine has…"

Kynarus didn't answer her question directly. Instead, he answered her question with another question.

"All human biotics are under forty years old, aren't they?" Kynarus asked. He didn't see why he should be asking, it was a common fact that humans had only developed biotics since the 2140s. It was a fairly new thing for the species, unlike most other races in the galaxy which had had biotics for centuries.

Katherine nodded, raising an eyebrow in uncertainty.

"What has that got to do with anything?" She asked, unsure of just what Kynarus was getting at. He had mentioned it now of all times and she couldn't understand why.

"How old is Schraeder?"

It was then that Katherine realized it too. They both could see that Schraeder was well into his fifties, perhaps bordering on sixties and yet he was one of the most powerful biotics in existence. That would mean he predated all human biotics and that would also mean that someone had had to train him into the biotic he was now…

"You're thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you?" Kynarus asked as the two of them started walking again. They made their way into the corridor where most of the office workers seemed to be headed, the sound of the party music gradually increasing in volume.

"Schraeder predates all human biotics if we're right," Katherine said, "you do realize what this means?"

"Not really…It just doesn't add up."

"No, it doesn't add up. I'm thinking that there's more to this Schraeder guy than we can see," Katherine said, shaking her head as if to clear the contradicting thoughts that were finding  
their way into her mind. "It could mean that there were human biotics around before any of the earliest documented ones. Hell, I don't even think that's possible…"

"Perhaps we're wrong about Schraeder's age?" Kynarus asked although even he knew that this was unlikely. Chances were his assumption about Schraeder being over fifty standard human years old was quite obviously correct.

"I'm pretty sure he's over fifty," Katherine said. Whatever more she had to say was cut off by the sounds of loud party music blaring through nearby speakers as the pair entered a large set of offices, finding the place filled with groups of office workers of all shapes and sizes. A long table went down the centre of the wide corridor, covered with plates of food such as sandwiches and muffins. A drinks table was over in the corner and a few guards stood over there, filling up plastic cups with a bottle of lemonade. The music was blaring from a few speakers in one of the nearby offices and somebody cared enough to turn the volume down slightly so it was a little more bearable. A large white banner hung at the end of the office corridor with the words "WELCOME BACK HERBERT" printed across it in large, noticeable letters. Kynarus assumed the banner was referring to Herbert von Schraeder and knew that he was probably right.

Katherine wandered over to the food table, picking up a chocolate muffin from a plate there and biting into it. Kynarus did feel a little hungry seeing as he hadn't eaten for hours but once again he was faced with plenty of human friendly food and no turian friendly stuff. Chances are he would throw up if he had any of this human food, this being one of the many disadvantages of being on the human home world. Since there were hardly any aliens on Earth none of the humans had bothered about any turian food, which was understandable of course but a bit disadvantageous for Kynarus. He was almost starving after all.

Katherine looked around at the surrounding offices, eyeing some nearby Corporation officers carefully. She gestured to Kynarus to come over and he did so, trying to resist the temptation to pick up something from the food table and eat it. He didn't need to feel sick right now seeing as they were probably close to finding and getting rid of Dieter and Schraeder. He needed to have a clear mind, something which was hard to achieve since he still had an irritating headache.

"You want anything to eat?" Katherine asked.

"No…I'm not that hungry…"

"Kynarus! Katherine! So glad to see you could join us!" A familiar voice shouted from somewhere behind them and the pair turned their heads to see Dieter walking over wearing a broad smile. He was yet to notice anything wrong with them although Kynarus had a feeling he would find them out soon enough.

"Schraeder will be pleased to see the process went well!" Dieter exclaimed with a look on his face that made him look like he was meeting a long lost friend. Kynarus was nowhere near friends with Dieter; in fact they were quite the opposite. Obviously Dieter had been hoping that the mind altering process would have programmed a strong friendship between him and the turian although the human had no idea that n mind altering had actually taken place.

"Ah…Dieter…" Kynarus realized he had no idea how to act like a friend towards a human he had been trying to kill for weeks. He simply managed the turian equivalent of a smile and noticed that Dieter didn't seem too concerned by his lack of friendliness. Instead, he had turned his attention towards Katherine and greeted her with open arms. If anything, Dieter certainly knew how to act overexcited.

"Katherine, I see you've already started eating our excellent food," he said, "We try and ensure that all food here in the complex is the best money can buy. After all, we have so much money that we can spend it on the best of everything." He paused for a moment, expecting her to say something in return.

"So…I'm guessing the drinks themselves cost hundreds of credits?" Katherine asked, caught a little off guard by Dieter's friendliness. Kynarus could see the human was willing to accept the two of them into the Corporation's ranks, having been just as impressed as Schraeder had been at the pair's constant and effective interference into the Corporation's plans. He just hadn't been so willing to go along with Schraeder's plan of having their minds altered although he seemed happy to see the process had worked. At least, he thought it had. He would be in for a surprise when the pair removed their weapons and started shooting the place up.

Kynarus resisted the urge to remove his sidearm and blast Dieter in the face. Instead, he preferred to wait until he had a clear shot at Schraeder. He wasn't anywhere in sight although the turian had a feeling Schraeder would show up eventually. He was, after all, the reason they were having this party.

"The drinks didn't cost _that_ much," Dieter said, "Although perhaps you would like to share in a glass of overly expensive wine with me? It would be my pleasure…" He was looking at Katherine with what was an obvious liking for the human female. Of course, Kynarus got his attention by forcefully gripping his shoulder and turning him around so the pair was facing each other. Kynarus gave him a look which more or less said "stay away from her". Dieter, as was usually the case, didn't seem at all fazed by this but didn't try anymore obvious flirting with Katherine.

"Where's Schraeder?" Kynarus asked, trying to control his anger. He knew an outburst at Dieter would show everyone that he was still his ordinary self and not some loyal Corporation follower.

"He's making a speech in the board room," Dieter said, "Perhaps you would like me to escort the two of you there?"

"Yes…Escort us," Kynarus said, trying to sound as business-like as possible. He had some trouble hiding the obvious satisfaction he was feeling, realizing that Dieter and Schraeder would be easy targets. The two of them had no idea that Kynarus and Katherine were still rather intent on destroying the Zahni Corporation rather than working for it. All in all, Dieter and Schraeder were completely oblivious to the dangerous couple they had let into their midst.

"Just follow me," Dieter said, turning around and starting down the hallway at a brisk pace. Kynarus and Katherine simply exchanged glances, both of them surprised at Dieter's obvious friendliness and started following. It was now that Kynarus started to feel a little nervous, knowing that once Schraeder saw them there was no doubt he would somehow "sense" that they weren't changed the way he wanted to. In fact, no changes had taken place in either of the pair's minds. They were still their normal selves and they were both uncertain of what they would do once they were in Schraeder's midst.

They turned a corner as they followed Dieter through the corridors, going up a short flight of stairs to the "extra" level above. Kynarus assumed the reason the floor wasn't on the elevator's control panel was because it seemed to be home to the more important offices and a set of thick security doors, all of which were open to allow easy access to the party going on beyond. The trio passed by a set of windows that looked into a large conference room which featured a long wooden table and a single sliding door on the other side. Dieter directed them into the conference room and Kynarus was surprised to find Schraeder standing at one end of the long table, facing about six other important looking officers who were seated at the table. Kynarus and Katherine remained standing in the doorway as Dieter entered, letting Schraeder finish his superior's speech.

Schraeder himself was too involved in showing off a set of images via the vid-screen set into the wall behind him to notice the new arrivals. He seemed to be engaged in whatever it was he was explaining to these important looking officers, even taking the time to pick up a bottle of expensive white wine off of the table and pour each of the officers a glass.

"…so I have returned and I have the very information we need to see our current operation through," Schraeder said, finishing the pouring while the officers sat and listened. He poured himself a glass, managing a glance towards Dieter and ignoring the obvious content visible in the younger human's face. He only glanced quickly at Kynarus and Katherine, not at all taking much notice of them as he worked his way back to the head of the table and picked up the vid-screen's remote control. On the vid-screen, the shot changed from one of a rotating Zahni Corporation logo to that of the package that Kynarus and Katherine had been originally assigned to go after.

Kynarus felt some anger surge through him when he saw the picture of it. It was the very object that had sent him into this mess but it had also been the very object to bring him and Katherine together, a benefit that certainly outweighed the trouble that the package had brought him. The picture on the screen was a simple, unassuming photo of the battered metal container and the fading white alphanumerical code "BMH-0018" printed on the side. It certainly didn't look like much but to Schraeder, Dieter and the rest of the Zahni Corporation it seemed to be quite important.

"You should all be aware of what this original operation was about," Schraeder said to the officers sitting at the table, "and why we've spent so long looking for this container and its contents. Most of you mocked me when I first proposed the plan to you but I'm sure those doubts you all originally had are long gone.

"Gentlemen, I have made the breakthrough you need. Dieter, as effective a leader he might have been, never knew the true extent of my finds before I was locked away in that horrid Martian prison. I had waited a year for someone to break me out and it seems that in Dieter's desperation for information he organized my very rescue. For that I am grateful to him but as a result I have resumed my former position of command." Schraeder paused, glancing at Dieter to see if there was any reaction. Dieter managed to keep a straight face although it was obvious he was having some difficulty. The balance of power had been changed as soon as Schraeder had ended up back in the Corporation and he had put himself back in charge as he had been before his stint in prison.

"I was locked away because some Alliance goons found me fiddling with one of the many buried secrets in the Prothean ruins in the southern polar ice cap of Mars. They were planning on getting rid of me since I knew so much about the secrets those ruins contain but they never got round to it, I guess they were just too busy or didn't care enough. Rather, they decided to keep me in prison so I could end up a test subject because of my biotic abilities. During my stay in prison I had some time to think over many things. As a result I think I may have found the real package."

Kynarus wasn't too sure what exactly it was Schraeder was talking about but it was obvious that he had been the one to organize the search for the mysterious package in the first place. His search had taken him to the Prothean ruins on Mars, the very place where the humans had found the technology that had enabled them to use the mass relays and travel to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Kynarus had a feeling the package's contents had something to do with the Prothean ruins although this was just an assumption. The turians couldn't be certain. Hell, he had been having trouble being certain about things recently.

Schraeder pressed a button on the remote and the picture on the vid-screen changed to what looked to be an aerial photo of the southern pole of Mars. The faint lines of the Prothean ruins were visible, the ice around them having been dug out over the twenty-something years of excavation that had been going on there.

"Before I get to where I think…where I _know _it is located," Schraeder continued, correcting himself and adding emphasis onto the "know", "I would like to talk about the Prothean ruins that enabled humanity to get as far as it has. The Alliance keeps many facts about these ruins hidden from the general public and with good reason. During my research I stumbled upon an interesting truth, one which may be the answer to the visions I, Dieter and many others have been having…"  
No one in the room except for Kynarus and Katherine seemed surprised to hear that visions had something to do with all of this. However, neither of the pair spoke up and decided to simply listen to whatever it was Schraeder was explaining. Things were starting to get interesting and some things were getting clearer, if only just.

"There is a hidden antechamber deep within the ruins," Schraeder said, pressing a button on the remote which replaced the current picture on the vid-screen with one displaying a professional-looking sketch of part of the layout of the ruins. Chambers and halls were marked in neat, clear handwriting while one point of interest was marked with a red "X" which appeared to be located in a large side-chamber. Schraeder gazed briefly at the map on the screen before returning his attention to the rest of the room and towards the patient officers seated at the table. Kynarus noticed now that each officer was in a slightly different uniform to the other, perhaps implying that they were from different sections of the Corporation's armies. This would explain why Schraeder was briefing them like this, perhaps preparing the different sections of the Corporation's armies for an upcoming operation.

"This antechamber contains something the Alliance has been keeping secret ever since its discovery twenty years ago," Schraeder said, "and I have seen it. You should all know what I am referring to and what powers it can give us." The officers all seemed to nod; already aware of whatever it was that Schraeder was going on about. Kynarus, on the other hand, had no idea what it was that Schraeder was referring to and really wanted to know. He knew better than to speak up though, especially since that would just draw attention to himself.

"We need what's in the package to get it to work," Schraeder continued, "the Alliance has known this for years but have been too afraid that such a powerful artefact is too dangerous to be unlocked. I believe otherwise, especially since it may be our only hope against the legions of destroyers so intent on entering our galaxy. That is why I directed all resources in order to find the package and ensure its contents were safe once I discovered of its existence. We spent so long looking for it and yet when I finally discovered its location I was thrown into prison. Now that I am out of prison we can resume the operation and ensure its success.

"This takes me to the next phase, the phase which involves what is inside the Prothean ruins on Mars. Once we have the package and have secured its contents I will order Operation Arrowhead to begin. This will involve the activation of the sleeper units we have on Mars and as a result the Prothean ruins will be taken by force while our synthetic armies on standby on all of the major worlds will activate. We will let the whole galaxy know the power of the Zahni Corporation and we will tell them we have the power to alter history itself!" Schraeder slammed a fist down on the table, a menacing and slightly crazy look appearing in his eyes. Kynarus exchanged surprised glances with Katherine, having gotten the basic gist of what Schraeder had been telling the officers. They planned on an all-out domination of the galaxy, apparently with the help of the contents of the package and whatever it was that was in those ruins that Schraeder found so special. There were a few things that still didn't quite add up in Kynarus' mind, such as these "legions of destroyers" Schraeder had mentioned that apparently wanted entry into the galaxy.

Kynarus knew that only he and Katherine were in any position to stop this admittedly crazy scheme cooked up by Schraeder. By now the Corporation leader had turned to look at the turian and then towards Katherine, smiling when he saw them.

"What do you think of my plan, Kynarus Vakarian? Or what about your thoughts, Katherine Tyler? Do you think it will succeed?" Schraeder was smiling a sinister smile, one that Kynarus really felt like getting rid of. Surprisingly the turian never got a chance to reply since the dor on the other side of the room slid open, revealing the interior of a small elevator. Out of it stepped Bradley and he seemed surprised to see Kynarus and Katherine in the room but quickly lost interest in them and approached Schraeder, a grim expression on his face.

"Uh…boss…" Bradley sounded nervous and looked it when Schraeder turned his head to face the younger man.  
"What is it?" Schraeder didn't sound too happy, probably annoyed at the interruption.

"There's…Well, everyone's ready to leave it's just…there's…a…well…" Bradley struggled to form a proper sentence, taking a deep breath and pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts. The presences of Kynarus and Katherine didn't seem to be helping him too much either.

"There's a problem on the roof," Bradley finally managed to say, "something to do with Hermann. I would have called you on the radio but I felt this was really too important for a simple radio call…"

"Hermann? What about him? What's wrong?" Dieter looked up, sounding genuinely concerned. It was obvious he and Hermann Holst were good friends, Kynarus remembering Hermann as the guy on the crutches who had also used his biotics against him. Katherine remembered him as the guy who had gotten his legs shot-up from underneath him back in the spaceport on Mars before she had proceeded to break his nose.

"He's refusing to come. He said he's had enough and is threatening to blow the whistle to Cerberus. I…I don't know what I should do so maybe you have an idea…"

Schraeder only gave the matter a brief thought before giving his reply. He was confident with his own orders and didn't seem too perturbed by this recent development.

"Just kill him," Schraeder said, turning around without even waiting for an answer from Bradley. Kynarus, on the other hand, could tell that all was not well in Zahni Corporation land and decided to interject.

"Hey Bradley," he said, his hand going to the compartment at the back of his armour where the pistol was stored, "how's life been treating you lately?"

Bradley didn't seem too keen on having a conversation with the turian, able to tell that there was something not quite right about Kynarus. What he could sense was the fact that Kynarus hadn't changed in any way as was supposed to happen.

"You can't kill Hermann!" Dieter exclaimed, "He's a friend and he does not deserve it! I will not allow his death!"

"You're no longer in charge Dieter so shut up," Schraeder said bluntly. Dieter shifted where he stood, trying his best to keep a straight face but finding this increasingly harder to do. Kynarus could see that Dieter didn't like the new arrangement of who was in charge and seemed ready to have it changed back to its previous state, where Dieter was the boss and Schraeder the second-in-command.

"I think I should get going…" Bradley said nervously starting for the elevator. The door slid open as he approached but before he was in the elevator Kynarus had removed his hidden sidearm. He ignored the surprised glances from the officers, as well as Dieter and Schraeder and raised the pistol, aiming it at Bradley. For a split second Kynarus managed a satisfied grin before he pulled the trigger, the pistol bucking back in his hands slightly.

Bradley was sent falling forwards into the elevator, a spray of blood erupting from the back of his head followed by bits of brain and bone. Kynarus shifted his aim towards Schraeder just as Katherine removed her hidden sidearm, the turian finding the surprised expression on Schraeder's face immensely satisfying. Bradley hit the floor of the elevator with a dull _thud_ at this instant. Kynarus was about to fire but he became aware that the six officers in the room were standing up, pulling out their side-arms and preparing to take aim.

Kynarus took his aim off of Schraeder and instead turned around, pushing Dieter out of the way and diving out of the room as six pistols opened fire. Katherine moved behind one side of a pillar on the edge of the room as several shots shattered the glass windows and scared the living daylights out of the passing office workers.

The officers continued shooting as Kynarus landed on the floor out in the corridor, bullets blowing chunks out of the wall ahead of him and the floor around him. He swivelled where he lay and started firing, taking down three of the officers before the other ones crouched behind the conference table. Schraeder had by now gathered what was going on and had taken out his pistol, yelling at Dieter to come with him into the elevator. Kynarus heard this and took aim at the elevator's control panel, firing as fast and as accurately as he could in order to prevent the two of them escaping yet again.

However, before he could adjust his aim accordingly he felt the force of what seemed like a train hit him and he was sent sliding across the floor at a painfully fast speed, slamming into the wall behind him with an agonizing _thump!_ He managed to catch a glimpse of Schraeder, rippling blue energy seemingly flowing through the air around him, as he entered the elevator. Dieter followed suit, kicking Bradley's corpse out of the way as he went.

Katherine leaned around the pillar she was behind but was forced back into cover as the officers started shooting, blowing chunks out of the pillar as shots ripped through the air in her general direction. Kynarus slowly rose to his feet, aware that an alarm was sounding and that a group of armed guards were running down the hallway ahead. He looked around for cover and found a large pot plant to one side of the corridor. He ducked behind it as the guards opened fire with their rifles, bullets ripping through the leaves of the pot plant as Kynarus tried to keep as low as possible.

Katherine leaned around the pillar again and opened fire, one of the officers stumbling backwards and hitting the wall behind him as several rounds connected with him. She shifted her aim and started blasting chunks out of the top of the conference table, inclining the remaining two officers to stay in cover. Katherine stepped into the room and crouched, shooting under the table itself. The two officers grunted and fell into a heap, allowing her to concentrate on the guards out in the corridor.

Kynarus knew exactly where Schraeder and Dieter had gone, Bradley having disclosed the fact during his quick visit during Schraeder's briefing. It seemed that they were on the roof, probably planning on leaving soon enough. The turian knew he would have to intercept them somehow and he and Katherine's best bet was to use the private elevator inside the conference room.

"Katherine!" He shouted, trying to keep low as the rifle rounds tore the pot plant to shreds. He managed to fire a few shots and take down one of the guards but his prospects in escaping weren't helped when another bunch appeared at the end of the hallway behind him.

"Get to the elevator!" Kynarus shouted, seeing that he had grabbed her attention. She didn't seem too keen on leaving him behind but he shot her his best serious glance, more or less telling her to go without him. She reluctantly ran towards the elevator, fiddling with the panel for a moment before finally getting the elevator open.

Kynarus turned his attention to the guards showing up at the end of the corridor behind him, firing away with his pistol and cutting down two of the guards while the others ran for cover. Behind him the first group of guards were slowly making their way down the corridor, rifles raised and at the ready. Kynarus had the feeling he was in trouble.

He looked towards the elevator and saw that Katherine was waiting for him. She stepped away from the elevator and opened fire through the conference room's windows at the guards making their way down the hallway, cutting them down before they had a chance to figure out where the shooting was coming from. She looked towards Kynarus, nodding towards the elevator.

"Come on!" She shouted. Kynarus looked back down at the end of the corridor, watching as more guards started arriving. He quickly rose to his feet and started running for the conference room, rifle rounds tearing through the air around him. Chunks were blown out of the walls and floor around him as he went, finally entering the relative safety of the room as he followed Katherine into the elevator.

By the time he had reached the elevator the guards in the hallway were racing for the conference room, Katherine only just managing to press the button to close the elevator's dors as they came into view and opened fire. The pair backed behind the elevator's doorway as bullets ripped into the metal wall behind them, sparks flying as the bullets impacted. The doors slid shut and prevented further rounds from flying inside, allowing Kynarus and Katherine a brief moment of reprieve.

For most of the elevator trip the pair was silent, the only noise being the quiet hum as the elevator moved up to the building's roof and the sounds of their heavy breathing. They both knew that Dieter and Schraeder had fled to the roof; they just had no idea who else would be up there.

"Why did you go for Bradley first?" Katherine asked suddenly. She didn't look too annoyed at the fact that Kynarus had turned down the chance to shoot Schraeder and instead shoot Bradley. The turian took a moment to answer.

"Bradley was a liar," Kynarus replied, "he had been working with Dieter all along. Thing is, I really hate it when someone sells me out to the enemy."

"We could have gotten Schraeder…" Katherine began but was interrupted.

"We'll get Schraeder,' Kynarus said as the elevator came to a stop. He composed himself as the doors slid open, the cold outside air filling the elevator and making him shiver. "And we'll get Dieter too. Don't you worry about that."

Katherine could see that Kynarus had some renewed confidence and decided to play along. After all, they had come this far. They would be best off seeing this whole thing through until the end. And the end, it seemed, was within sight. At least, Kynarus hoped it was.


	38. Comodoro Rivadavia

**Location: **Zahni Corporation headquarters, somewhere south of Buenos Aires, Argentina

The rain had stopped but the clouds were still there, as they always seemed to be in this part of the country. A strong, cold wind was blowing across the plains and sent shivers through Kynarus as he stepped out onto the roof of the Zahni Corporation headquarters building. Katherine was just behind him, her eyes scanning the surrounding area for any sign of the enemy.

This part of the roof was taken up by air conditioning units and drainage pipes, creating a sort of maze-like area to traverse through. Some stairs ahead went onto a higher section of the roof and it was here Kynarus could make out the sounds of chopper blades whirring and people shouting, although he couldn't make out what they were saying. Katherine could hear it too and had stopped to listen; trying her best to make out whatever it was that was being said.

Steam wafted out of a grating ahead, shifting as the wind blew. The hum of the climate control units provided a quiet background ambience for the roof, although it was soon drowned out by a distant boom of thunder. Above the dark overcast sky successfully blocked out any view of the sun, making what was only early afternoon into what seemed like evening. It was quiet on the surrounding plains and hills, the yellowing grass blowing with the wind and rattling against one another quietly.

Kynarus looked around the section of roof ahead of them, noticing a door set in the side of the higher up ledge. A walkway went from the door and to the lower section of roof, perhaps leading from another section of the top floor. Kynarus had a feeling that if anyone had followed them they would be coming onto the roof by the stairwell and so he made sure his pistol was gripped tightly in his left hand, preferring to have it ready if anyone did come.

Kynarus took a moment to think abut why Schraeder and Dieter had come up here, most likely leaving on whatever airborne transports were making the noises he could hear. Where they were going was unknown to him but he knew he would have to intercept them before they managed to escape yet again or, at the very least, find out where they were going. He didn't really like the latter option seeing as he was already getting sick of chasing these guys around everywhere, having gone from Talerian to the Citadel chasing Dieter only to end up on Mars and now Earth chasing Schraeder. Things would have to come to an end soon otherwise he'd end up just throwing in the towel. Katherine, on the other hand, seemed a lot more determined than him and was already starting towards the stairs that lead onto the higher section of roof.

Kynarus had the feeling that they wouldn't have been in this position if he had just shot Schraeder before going for Bradley but it had been because of his anger that he had gone for the one who had sold him out first, leaving the main bad guy for later. Of course, he could have easily shifted his aim after shooting Bradley in the back of the head towards Schraeder but by that time all those officers in the conference room had started shooting at him. Perhaps if he had had working kinetic shields he might have been able to shoot Schraeder as well before having gone into cover but unfortunately his armour's shields had conked out back on Mars.

"Wait up Katherine," Kynarus said as she started walking. She stopped and turned around, looking at him with a slightly annoyed expression. She was definitely not in the mood for anymore delays.

"What is it now?" She asked before adding, "Because I really don't think we should delay this any longer…" Katherine was about to go on about why such delays would be disadvantageous to them but she was interrupted by the bark of a rifle from somewhere up ahead. Concrete near her feet erupted into small explosions as bullets impacted the ground near her and she immediately went diving behind an air conditioning unit, falling behind cover as she shifted her gaze to the walkways ahead.

Kynarus saw the rifle flash and looked towards where it had come from, seeing that the door he had noticed only moments before had slid open. Zahni Corporation guards were flowing out of the space beyond the door, taking up position on the ledge ahead and opening fire with their rifles. Kynarus went running behind the nearest climate control unit, a grating in the back of it sending white and warm steam into his face. He rubbed his eyes clear and put his back to the unit, pistol gripped tightly in his left hand as he leaned around the side to see where the guards had positioned themselves. He ducked his head back behind the unit as several rounds tore through the air towards him, pinging against the metal of the unit and blowing chunks out of the concrete near his feet.

As if to complicate matters further the door into the every elevator he and Katherine used slid open, revealing about three armed and ready Corporation guards behind it. Kynarus saw the door open and so had his pistol raised and aimed before the guards inside had the room to run outside, opening fire at the elevator as it opened. Two of the guards inside fell within seconds, blood smearing the walls inside the elevator as the last guard somersaulted out and came up firing his rifle.

Kynarus grunted as the now familiar sensation of a bullet tearing into him occurred yet again, this time just below his left pectoral. He grunted and stumbled backwards only briefly, barely aware of Katherine's concerned shouts. Seconds before the main extent of the pain kicked in Kynarus managed to compose himself long enough to return fire, the guard falling backwards abruptly as part of his head broke away. He fell backwards, his finger still on the trigger of his rifle which in turn sent bullets colliding into the wall behind him and then the floor beneath him. The rifle fell silent when the guard's grip gave way slightly; leaving only the sounds of the other guard's shouts audible in the cool midday air. Above thunder rumbled ominously and Kynarus slumped against the back of the unit, able to feel a strange but painful burning sensation in one half of his chest.

He took the moment to try and compose himself, putting his right hand to the bullet wound and feeling it come back sticky with blood. He swore quietly in turian under his breath, knowing that such bad luck would probably impede his progress immensely. Not only that but he could feel an odd warming sensation slowly making its way from the wound and spreading throughout the inside of his chest. He doubted that was a good sign.

He glanced over at Katherine, seeing that she was too busy to really do anything to help him right now, trying her best to gun down the guards firing at them from the ledge ahead. The shouting he had heard earlier seemed more frantic and angered now, partially drowned out by the sound of the shooting. Whoever it was didn't like the idea that a hostile force was on its way to him but seemed rather content to continue his argument anyway.

Kynarus didn't like his chances with this new wound but knew he would have to continue in this state regardless. He and Katherine were close to Dieter and Schraeder and stopping now would mean that the two Corporation assholes would get away again. Kynarus was rather determined to stop them from escaping for the umpteenth time, realizing that even if he was wounded he would have to continue on as best he could. Summing up his waning strength he rose back onto his feet just as the elevator doors opened again, bringing up another three Corporation guards. None of the three made it out of the elevator, cut down within seconds as Kynarus raised his pistol and began firing at the elevator wildly. They made easy targets cooped up inside such a small space and so he didn't really have to aim too carefully, rather he simply took aim at the elevator and fired away. When those three guards were down, piled on top of one another in a spread-eagled fashion, Kynarus took more careful aim at the elevator's control panel by its doors. It only took a single shot to bust a hole in the panel, sending smoke and sparks flying from the broken controls.

Kynarus ignored the stab of pain in his chest as he leaned around the side of the climate control unit, taking aim at one of the guards on the ledge ahead and firing away. He watched with some satisfaction as the guard fell backwards and disappeared behind the ledge's barrier, never to get back up again. With the brief lull in the firing as the other remaining guards watched with surprise as their buddy fell, Kynarus took the chance to look over at Katherine.

"We have got to get moving!" He shouted, stating the painfully obvious. They both knew that if they waited any longer Schraeder and Dieter would just get away again. This was the last thing either of them wanted and so getting a move on was certainly a recommended action.

Katherine looked at him, her eyes shifting to the bleeding wound at his chest. Kynarus shot her a gaze that more or less told her that she shouldn't worry about it and she looked away, shifting her attention back on the guards firing on them from up ahead. She leaned around the air conditioning unit she was crouched behind and started shooting, taking down another of the guards and inclining the others to keep their heads down.

Kynarus felt a little strange, as if his strength was leaving him. He swallowed something that tasted a little odd and realized it was blood which was definitely not a good sign. He put his right hand to the hole in the armour at the left part of his chest, able to feel that the shot he had caught this time around had penetrated straight through his armour. It had probably been some sort of armour-piercing round but he knew he didn't have too much time to think about the type of bullet he had received; rather he had to get himself moving. He hoped he could keep his energy up enough for him to do so since already he was feeling a bit weak, as if something was sapping away his energy.

Katherine had started moving ahead, firing her pistol at the guards up on the ledge. They stayed behind cover under the fire, allowing her to cover some ground before one of them came back up and started shooting again. Katherine was by then halfway up the stairs and so rolled off of the landing and behind a concrete wall, keeping herself hidden as bullets hammered into the concrete and blew chunks of it away. Kynarus could see the remaining few guards had their attention set on Katherine, thus allowing him a chance to move up even though she was in trouble.

Kynarus took a deep breath and did his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his chest and the warm sensation that went with it. He came running from behind cover, pistol raised with his left hand as he came charging up the metal stairs. There were about three guards up on the next section of the roof and they were all firing at Katherine's position, only just becoming aware of Kynarus seconds before they were shot. Kynarus came racing up the stairs and past Katherine, gunning down the three soldiers with relative ease during this sudden burst of adrenaline. As he came up the top of the stairs he was suddenly aware of the silence of the rooftop, the sound of the wind whistling by and the "whup-whup" of the pair of transport helicopters parked up ahead the only noises audible for the moment. The yelling had stopped as if someone had flicked a switch to turn it off although from what Kynarus could see the person who had been yelling was still alive and standing by one of the large, black and unmarked transport helicopters.

There were two of these helicopters, each with wings fitted with spinning rotor blades which could be used to hover and swivelled to face the front in order to propel the aircraft forwards like an airplane. If memory served Kynarus correctly than these vehicles were usually called "Osprey". There were two of these aircraft and the one closest, about thirty metres ahead and parked on what looked like a helipad, had its door and ramp extended and a familiar figure on crutches standing at the end of the ramp. It was Hermann and he seemed to be preoccupied with talking to whoever was standing in the transport's doorway. Taking a more direct look Kynarus could make out Dieter standing in the Osprey's doorway and he noticed that the human seemed more preoccupied with talking to Hermann than anything else.

Hermann began yelling angrily again and this time around Kynarus could make out most of it quite clearly. What was being said lead him to believe that all was not well within the Corporation's top circle of figures.

"…I've had enough! How many times do I have to say this?" Hermann yelled at the top of his voice, oblivious to the fact that a potentially hostile turian was making his way slowly across the helipad. "I'm staying behind! I can't take this bullshit anymore!"

Dieter didn't seem too interested in whatever point Hermann was trying to make. Instead, his gaze moved to the left a little and it rested on Kynarus who was standing at the other side of the helipad, watching and listening from what seemed like a safe distance.

Kynarus made sure he was close to cover, standing by a large block of concrete which served as the entrance into what looked like the main elevator. The door was shut and there seemed to be no signs of anyone coming up although he decided to keep an eye on it anyway. He tried his best to ignore the ever annoying throbbing pain in his chest as he started moving behind the concrete section, realizing that he would probably need some sort of medical attention soon enough. Such a thing would be hard to get, especially since he was on the roof of the very headquarters of the enemy.

Dieter's face contorted into one of anger when he saw Kynarus and he immediately turned around to look inside the chopper, barking orders at someone inside the chopper. Immediately the spinning rotor blades began to spin much faster, becoming a blur of speed as the Osprey lifted off. Kynarus watched as the ramp retracted, leaving a surprised looking Hermann standing on the helipad. Kynarus heard footsteps behind him and turned around, seeing that Katherine had come up to see what was going on. Kynarus cautioned her to stay in cover as the Osprey took off, hovering several metres above the top of the building.

Dieter was still visible in the open doorway and he seemed to be setting up something on a tripod. He rested a large and long metal shape in the doorway, fixing it to the top of the tripod as he stepped behind it. Kynarus suddenly knew what it was and started running for cover behind the concrete elevator section as the mounted gun opened fire.

Such a weapon could fire several thousand rounds without needing to be reloaded, having been designed for anti-infantry purposes. The gun itself fired so fast it sounded more like a continuous "clipping" sound, leading many to nickname these types of guns "shredders". Dieter seemed to be enjoying himself as he strafed the concrete elevator section with hundreds of rounds, blowing massive chunks out of the concrete and sending clouds of dust floating through the air. Hermann had started hobbling away on his crutches, heading for cover at a slow but desperate pace. Katherine had taken cover below the ledge behind her, preferring to keep her head down rather than try and return fire.

Kynarus stayed low as rounds tore through the concrete close to him, sending concrete dust into his eyes and into his mouth. He coughed and gagged on some of the stuff, trying to compose himself enough in order to return fire. Dieter wasn't letting up on firing the mounted gun, taking advantage of its high magazine size and simply spraying the bullets in the turian's general direction. Meanwhile the other Osprey remained stationary, a man in a Corporation's technician uniform stepping out of it and racing over to the front. Perhaps they were having engine trouble, Kynarus couldn't really tell. He was too busy getting shot at.

He edged his way around the small concrete section, coming around the other side without Dieter noticing. The Osprey the human was in was still hovering several metres above the rooftop as if whoever was piloting it was expecting Dieter to kill the turian. The human failed to notice the turian move around the back of the concrete section and around the other side and instead continued firing at the same place, thinking that Kynarus was still there. Already the metal inside the concrete walls was becoming visible as more and more concrete was blasted away under the intense fire. If things kept up like this Kynarus doubted he would have any cover left to stay behind.

He could see Dieter standing in the side doorway of the Osprey, firing away the mounted gun with a wide grin on his face. Kynarus decided he would try and finally wipe that grin off of the human's face, leaning around the side of the concrete section and taking careful aim with his pistol at Dieter. He fired several shots, some of which went wide and pinged off of the Osprey's armour while one seemed to find its mark, Dieter stumbling back and clutching at his shoulder whilst swearing loudly.

"Let's go! Now!" He shouted at the pilot, shooting Kynarus a rather malevolent scowl as the Osprey started moving. It sped away from the building, leaving Kynarus, Katherine and Hermann alone on the rooftop.

_Damn it!_

Kynarus angrily punched the nearest section of wall, quickly retracting his right hand in pain when his right fist impacted the concrete section. He swore loudly in his native tongue, realizing that once again Dieter and whoever else was on board that transport aircraft had escaped to only God knew where. It occurred to him then that the other Osprey was still parked on the helipad although it seemed that whatever engine trouble they had been facing had been fixed.

Kynarus recovered from his brief moment of rage and started running towards the parked Osprey. Its rotor blades were beginning to spin faster now and the technician he had seen step out of it earlier was running back for the side door. Inside he could see a few Corporation soldiers, all of which were about to train their weapons on him. Kynarus raised his pistol and started shooting, gunning down the technician as he ran and then shifting his aim towards the Osprey's open doorway and pulling his pistol's trigger as fast as he could. Some of the soldiers fell while a few of them raised their rifles and opened fire, forcing Kynarus to dive onto the ground in order to avoid their volleys of fire. Concrete was blasted away near where Kynarus was lying prone but the turian ignored the close impact of the rounds shot towards him and instead kept firing into the Osprey transport, bullets pinging off of the transport's armour whilst others found their way through the open door. By now the pilot was trying his best to get the vehicle to take off but Kynarus was determined to stop him from doing so, getting back up and starting to sprint straight for the open door. The soldiers inside were mostly all dead and Kynarus only encountered one as he race dup the ramp, catching the soldier by surprise as he connected the butt of his pistol into the human's face before grabbing him and launching him out of the Osprey. The soldier hit the helipad with a heavy _thud _and didn't get back up, the turian assuming he was effectively neutralized. Kynarus looked around, noticing that Katherine was alive and well and running for the Osprey.

The turian done his best to ignore the pain in his chest and turned towards the passenger section of the large Osprey transport, finding the pilot cowering in his seat in front of the controls and viewport. He looked towards Kynarus with obvious fear and this was enough to make the turian feel a little more confident in his current position.

"Don't shoot!" The pilot raised his arms, shaking uncontrollably. Kynarus only regarded him with indifference, not at all concerned about the pilot and more interested in the information he was able to give him.

"Where's Dieter headed?" Kynarus asked, surprised to hear that his voice sounded strained and weak. He tried to disguise this by putting on a harder edge to his voice but he could see such a thing wasn't necessary, able to tell that the pilot was terrified of him.

"To…to a place called Comodoro Rivadavia…" The pilot gestured towards the computers and panels in front of him. "It's all programmed into the navigation computer…All you have to do is take-off and the aircraft will fly itself there…Just please, let me live! I told you what you wanted to know!"  
Kynarus took a look at the controls and figured he could work them without much trouble, especially since the aircraft would be flying itself for most of the trip. With regards to the pilot Kynarus couldn't simply let him go and report where him and Katherine were headed so the turian simply raised his pistol and shot the pilot right between the eyes, spraying blood across the viewport. Kynarus didn't feel any remorse for the killing, having already gotten quickly tired of the Corporation and its seemingly endless amounts of goons. Another dead Zahni Corporation goon wasn't going to get noticed.

Katherine arrived at that instant and climbed aboard, eyeing Kynarus and the dead pilot with some curiosity. Her expression immediately changed to one of concern when she could see that Kynarus was bleeding from an obvious bullet wound to the chest. She stopped behind him and put a hand on his shoulder in an effort to reassure him but Kynarus shook it off, shooting her a sharp look.

"You're hit," Katherine said, "We should try and find some medi-gel…"

"I'll be fine," Kynarus said, frustrated that Katherine seemed more concerned about him than finding Dieter and Schraeder, "just move these bodies out of here so we have room to move around."

"But you'll bleed to death…"

"I'm fine!" Kynarus snapped then and there, raising his voice and almost lunging at the human female. She looked taken aback for a brief moment before moving her attention to the several bodies lying sprawled inside the Osprey transport. Kynarus had the feeling that he had reacted in an unnecessary fashion but he really wasn't in the mood for anymore time wasting, preferring that they both get ready to depart as soon as possible. Katherine had fallen silent and didn't make eye contact with him, simply going about the task of removing the bodies from the transport by rolling them out of the side door.

Kynarus pushed the dead pilot out of his seat, sitting himself down in the pilot's chair only for him to groan quietly as pain shot through his chest. He swallowed blood once more and figured that Katherine's concern for his wounds wasn't unfounded. He figured that without proper medical attention he would slowly bleed out but he knew that proper medical attention would be impossible to get without allowing Dieter and Schraeder to get further away. He was no expert but he assumed he could last for several more hours before his wounds got the better of him but just to be sure of himself he searched the cabinets under the pilot's seat, finding a first aid kit. Inside were an empty tub of medi-gel and several bandages, inclining the turian to slowly remove his chest plating and expose his scaly skin underneath.

While Katherine was removing the bodies of the Corporation goons from the Osprey transport Kynarus was tending to the bullet he had caught in his left pectoral, plugging the bleeding and jagged wound with some absorbent material from the first aid kit before wrapping bandages around his chest and onto the wound itself.

_That ought to hold me together for a little while…_

Once finished he put back on his chest armour plating and tried to get comfortable in the pilot's seat, glancing behind him and seeing that Katherine had removed all of the bodies. Without any further delay Kynarus turned back to the controls in front of him and found the navigation computer, noticing that the pilot had already keyed in the coordinates for a particular spot further down the coastline of the continent known as South America. It was a safe bet that Dieter and Schraeder were on their way to that very place so Kynarus found the controls to alter the engine power and gripped the control stick, easing the aircraft off of the helipad.

Seconds later the navigation computer kicked in, guiding the aircraft up and away from the building without any further input from the turian. Sitting back in the seat Kynarus glanced back at Katherine who was seated behind him, noticing that she seemed to be in a rather sullen mood. This was understandable since he had snapped at her but he already had enough on his mind and he didn't need Katherine to fret over his physical health. Kynarus was quite confident that he would be fine and was so sure of this fact that he decided to sit back and try and get some rest, closing his eyes as the Osprey began zooming over the rolling plains of Argentina. Katherine, on the other hand, sat in silence and found it very hard to go to sleep.

Kynarus didn't fall asleep himself, instead trying his best to do so but finding it impossible. He opened his eyes and turned to look back at Katherine, trying to manage his best sympathetic expression. She didn't seem too interested in looking at him, instead gazing out of the still pen door at the landscape rushing past below.

"I'm sorry," Kynarus croaked, still surprised at how strained he sounded. Katherine looked up, fixing his eyes on him and simply shrugging.

"Don't be," she said simply, "this whole 'chase-down-Dieter' thing is getting on my nerves too. I'm just worried about you, that's all…I'll understand if you're angry."

There was a brief moment's of silence between the two as they both tried to understand what the other was feeling. Kynarus didn't feel too good but still tried his best to hide this fact, about to turn his attention back to the controls in front of him when Katherine said something that made him feel like banging his head against a wall again.

"I think we left that Hermann guy on the roof," she said, the pair realizing that they had just missed out on a chance to finally get Hermann Holst in particular. Kynarus simply shook his head, realizing that there was no point in turning back now. Besides, according to the navigation computer the region known as "Comodoro Rivadavia" wasn't too far away. No point turning around when they were almost there. For once, Kynarus decided to forget about killing someone in particular and decided to enjoy whatever sights the flight had to officer, which included views of the rolling plains of Argentina which eventually opened into wind-blasted desert.

* * *

Once, sometime in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, Comodoro Rivadavia had been a city of growth and expansion. It lay on the coast of the San Jorge Gulf and had once been the most important city of the region, acting as a vital import/export point for natural gas and oil.

That was why Comodoro Rivadavia was more or less deserted now. It had once been a city in an oil boom, growing over time due to its exports of oil and gas. When element zero had been discovered oil became obsolete and so did Comodoro Rivadavia, sending the city into a state of decay and poverty. People left the city in droves and now it was one of the many ghost towns that dotted the South American landscape, most populations having moved to larger cities such as Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. There were still people in Comodoro, just not very many and those that were here were often the very poor who could not afford to leave.

Comodoro had also been a popular tourist spot but unfortunately those days were long over. Tourists tended to visit the more exotic destinations which mostly consisted of places not on Earth but on far out planets such as Palaven and Elysium. A mostly deserted city as Comodoro was the sort of place where someone could get away with almost anything and do what they wanted without attracting attention. Such a place seemed to have been the ideal location to hide the package and its contents until further notice.

The Osprey transport contained a bunch of some of the best of the Corporation's elite soldiers, kitted out in heavy armour with kinetic barriers. They were seated through the passenger area along with Dieter Sturlmann, Rellin Kia'Shan, Heinrich Walstedt and Herbert von Schraeder. Dieter had bandaged up his shoulder wound and had been sitting quietly for most of the trip, thinking things over and trying to determine why exactly they were coming to this particular dilapidated city. Schraeder had been tight-lipped about the reasons why they were coming here but if Dieter assumed correctly it was because this was where the real package was hidden. How it had ended up here was beyond his knowledge but knowing Schraeder there would be a very good reason why.

Dieter had been sure he had gunned down the turian back at the rooftop but then again he had never actually seen Kynarus Vakarian fall. He had simply assumed that the turian had died in the hail of bullets that he had sent his way, having been glad for a moment back there to have finally gotten rid of that pesky turian. Like everyone else, Dieter hadn't been expecting Kynarus and Katherine to show up still as their usual violent selves. Rather, he and Schraeder had been expecting the loyal, obedient Corporation soldiers that Schraeder had wanted them to be programmed as. Instead the turian and the woman had showed up in the offices and gunned down Bradley, a rather helpful informant that Dieter had located on Mars several days ago.

Dieter still felt some pain in his shoulder but the medi-gel he had applied there had eased the pain considerably. He shifted in his seat, moving his gaze towards the open doorway in the side of the Osprey transport. He could see the distant shapes of the buildings of Comodoro Rivadavia coming to view. They would arrive at their destination in a few more minutes by the look of it.

Dieter had the mounted gun sitting on his lap, having dismounted the gun itself from the tripod after getting shot by Kynarus whom he had thought had been dead. He was hoping he would get to use such an excellent piece of military equipment again soon seeing as there was no doubt that Kynarus and Katherine would try and follow them. To top things off Dieter and the others were pretty certain that Cerberus was on their trail as well, having picked up an incoming chopper before leaving the Zahni Corporation headquarters. Such an occurrence would incline Schraeder to carry out the next part of the scheme faster and probably make mistakes while he was at it.

Dieter hadn't taken too kindly to Schraeder when his former boss had decided to reinstate himself. Dieter had been demoted back down to his second-in-command status, one he had been tired of long before Schraeder had been locked away in prison. This was why Dieter, Heinrich and Rellin along with most of the soldiers were planning to overthrow Schraeder once they had retrieved the package and left Comodoro Rivadavia. Of course, all of them weren't allowed to think about it too much otherwise Schraeder might "sense" what was coming. Instead, Dieter quickly reverted to thinking about the ocean and the rolling waves that were commonly associated with it. He did notice an odd look from Schraeder but otherwise the ageing Corporation boss didn't do much else. Instead, Schraeder returned to his own thoughts as the transport flew over the mostly deserted city below.

Another thing which was currently on Dieter's mind had been Hermann's sudden outburst back at the rooftop. It had been unexpected but something Dieter hadn't been to fazed about and as a result Dieter had been made to deal with it, trying his best to talk some sense into the biotic specialist but instead getting a mouthful of insults. Hermann had seemed desperate, as if there had been something on his mind. Dieter had been quite surprised when Hermann had said he would go and defect to Cerberus but by the time this part of the argument had been reached, Kynarus and Katherine had arrived on the helipad and decided to shot the place up. Dieter had then simply let Hermann yell away, realizing that the young man was too far gone for anyone's help. Dieter did regret leaving Hermann behind on the rooftop and figured that by now Kynarus had probably killed him or taken him captive.

Hermann had been a friend although when it came down to business he had seemed hesitant to really commit his full loyalty to the Corporation. Dieter had always sensed doubt in the young man but had simply let it go, finding Hermann's abilities to far outweigh whatever doubts were felt about him. Hermann had been capable at what he did and as a result had been placed in charge of the small contingent of biotic soldiers in service for the Corporation. Those soldiers were currently in service else where on Earth and Hermann had been assigned to the search for the package, becoming part of Dieter's team. Now that team was all but gone thanks to Kynarus and Katherine. They had killed Kalax, the loyal krogan and then they had killed Klaus, Francis Darian and Hans Berenger. All three of those humans had been good at their jobs and by far some of the most capable people Dieter had ever met. It was a shame that they were all dead but it was more of a shame that Schraeder had taken charge and decided to compensate for the lack of numbers with standard elite soldiers. To Dieter, it just didn't feel the same as it had when he had had a team of people he knew.

Regardless, Dieter knew he would have to work with these most likely incompetent soldiers until he could organize something better. He knew he ought to have more confidence in his own troops but ever since Kynarus and Katherine had had so much luck in killing plenty of Corporation soldiers, Dieter's faith in the Corporation's armed forces had diminished considerably. If they couldn't kill a single turian and that turian's human friend then chances were they would have plenty of trouble when it came to fighting Cerberus when the time came. No doubt Cerberus would try an all-out attack in an effort to remove the Corporation permanently.

Dieter shifted where he sat, looking towards Rellin. The half-synthetic turian returned his gaze with a slight nod; they both knew the plan to remove Schraeder and they were both willing to carry it out once they had found the package.

Finally the Osprey transport was beginning to descend, the shapes of the many tall structures of Comodoro Rivadavia visible in the distance. The whole city was surrounded by rolling desert plains and sat on the very coast of the country, right near the San Jorge Gulf. Waves washed up against the shore and the whole place would have looked appealing if it were not mostly abandoned and dilapidated as well as being in the middle of a raging thunderstorm. Rain was pouring down in sheets and strong winds shook the transport as it descended, inclining some of the soldiers to steady themselves on whatever they could. Dieter simply remained seated in silence, not at all concerned about the turbulence that was shaking the transport. It subsided as the aircraft came to hover half a metre or so off the ground, positioned by a set of deserted metal buildings that had rusted from the rain and become overgrown with weeds.

They had arrived on the outskirts of Comodoro Rivadavia and according to the very little amount of information Schraeder had given them it seemed he was intent on checking out a particular spot on the edges of the city. It was completely unknown to everyone but Schraeder just how the package could have ended up in such an out-of-the-way place but no one was willing to ask questions, preferring to keep their mouths shut as they gathered their gear and started disembarking from the transport.

Dieter was last out, lugging the mounted gun with him under one arm as he followed Rellin and Schraeder out of the transport. By now the elite soldiers had formed a perimeter around the chopper, weapons raised as they searched the area for potential hostiles. Unsurprisingly none were found and the all clear was given, allowing Schraeder to start moving.

They had landed in what looked to have once been a public park. Now it was overgrown and muddy, having become more of a swamp than anything that might have once attracted families and dog owners as a place to rest and hang out. A wooden park bench lay half buried in muddy swamp water several metres off to Dieter's left while the ground underneath them sunk slightly with each step. The rain was still coming down hard and was already making Dieter feel cold so he carefully buttoned up his jacket with one hand while he looked around them at the public park. Heinrich Walstedt was standing to his right and didn't seem too excited about being stuck in a swamp in the middle of the rain.

"Why are we here?" He asked, "There's nothing left here except discarded junk."

Ahead were several metal buildings, having once formed a small cluster of portable offices for the planners that had been involved with the construction of a set of unfinished houses at the edge of the park. Now those offices were overgrown with weeds and creepers while the unfinished wooden frames of the houses had all but fallen down. It seemed the decline of Comodoro Rivadavia had been enough to halt construction works like this in their tracks, providing one of the more negative aspects of discovering the Prothean ruins on Mars. Those ruins may have opened up a new world of technological possibilities for humanity but they had also affected those places that had relied on the old technology, such as oil and petrol. Comodoro Rivadavia had relied on oil for its economy and without that the city was all but nothing.

"What better place to hide something that looks like junk than amongst other junk?" Schraeder said, turning his head to look back at Heinrich. Heinrich simply shrugged, not too interested in whatever point Schraeder was trying to make.

"We're standing in the rain," Heinrich said, stating the obvious, "can't we find some shelter? Perhaps the rain itself will finish soon and then we can start our search…"

"It won't end for hours and you should know that, Heinrich," Dieter said, finally speaking. Heinrich looked at him with a raised eyebrow, perhaps surprised at Dieter's sudden decision to actually talk.

"The weather here in South America isn't too hard to predict," Dieter added, "when it rains it really does rain. And it goes on for hours." He paused for emphasis, gesturing to their surroundings and the sky above. "You obviously haven't spent too much time on Earth, otherwise you would know that weather in South America can get really…wet."

"I don't need to spend time on Earth," Heinrich replied, looking at Dieter with some scorn, "the planet's become such a shithole lately I've decided to try and stay off it as much as I can."

Dieter didn't like it when people insulted Earth, seeing as it was humanity's home-world and thus deserved some measure of respect. He shot Heinrich a warning glance, one that more or less told him what would happen if he talked out of line again. Heinrich got the message and turned around, falling silent and avoiding eye contact with Dieter.

"Where do we go from here?" Rellin asked, looking around and most likely scanning the area with his one artificial eye, "there doesn't appear to be much in the immediate vicinity…"

"Follow me," Schraeder said as he started to make his way across the swampy public park, the ground squishing beneath him with each step. Dieter, Rellin and Heinrich began to follow as well as two of the soldiers, the others staying behind to keep an eye on the Osprey transport. It was then that Dieter noticed that the soldiers accompanying them were carrying shovels and it struck him then that maybe Schraeder was leading them straight to wherever the package was hidden.

They continued through the park and through the pouring rain, Dieter's jacket getting soaked during the walk. He and the others followed Schraeder all the way through the swampy public park, being sure to step over any large puddles of algae and swamp water. Ahead was a wooden fence that had long fallen down, leaving planks of wood protruding from the swampy ground beneath. Behind the fence was what looked to be a church, probably one for one of the older religions of the world such as Christianity or Catholicism. The church's steeple towered high above the park while to the church's right was a car park with a road that winded off into what appeared to be a suburban area of the city. Everything was overgrown while the road was cracked, having not been maintained for years. Schraeder lead them past the boarded up church, passing walls that had rather crude graffiti scrawled all over them. A rusted hulk of a car sat parked in the car park, having seen far better days.

There was a rather large cemetery on the other side of the car park, overgrown with weeds and creepers like the rest of the park. Gravestones stood high and low through the tall green grass, the stones themselves slickened with rainwater and shining in the small amount of sunlight that was making its way through the overcast sky above. Some were taller than others, with intricate statues of angels and crosses while others were simple blocks of stone set low in the ground.

Schraeder halted at the gate into the cemetery abruptly, as if sensing something. Dieter stopped a few metres to his right and watched as Schraeder closed his eyes, either trying to remember where the package was or doing whatever it was that enabled him to sense things far easier than any ordinary person. A minute passed in silence and suddenly Schraeder opened his eyes, pointing towards one of the gravestones with a large stone cross on top of it.

"Dig at that grave," he ordered and the two soldiers with the shovels went running past, stopping at the grave and bringing out their shovels. They began to dig at the soft, muddy dirt while Schraeder approached and watched them go to work.

Dieter figured that the package had been hidden in a grave here by whoever had had it last. He couldn't work out how Schraeder would know its whereabouts but he didn't bother asking since he had the feeling Schraeder wouldn't give him a straight answer.

That was when the familiar sound of an Osprey transport became audible, coming from somewhere distant but increasing in volume as it neared. Dieter and the others looked up and watched with some disdain as the second transport came flying overhead, heading or about the same place the other transport had landed. This was of course expected, seeing as a transport full of soldiers had been assigned to follow them and back them up. However, what got Dieter angry was when the mounted gun in the side doorway opened fire and began sending bullets down into the graveyard, ripping apart gravestones and cutting down one of the soldiers busy digging at the grave Schraeder had pointed out.  
Dieter and the others dived onto the muddy ground as the Osprey flew overhead, the gunner turning his attention to the group of soldiers standing guard by the other transport. The mounted gun opened fire again while the soldiers themselves attempted to return fire. Dieter could make out a turian seated behind the mounted gun and it was obvious who it was.

"Kynarus Vakarian…" He said simply as he slowly rose back onto his feet. It was obvious that turian and his human girlfriend weren't going to give up so easily so Dieter decided he would end things here and now. He looked towards Schraeder, who was also standing up and who seemed more concerned about digging at the grave. He went for the dead soldier's dropped shovel and began digging, the surviving soldier getting up and following suit.

Dieter pointed to Heinrich and Rellin, signalling them to follow him.

"Come with me you two," Dieter said as he turned back to start in the direction of the public park, "we're going to finish this."


	39. The Finale

**The Finale**

**Location: **Southern outskirts of Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina

As usual, it was raining outside. The whole of South America seemed to have become one dreary, rainy landscape covered in rolling plains and open deserts. Of course, a dreary but natural environment such as this was far better than hanging around in an overcrowded city such as Buenos Aires.

Colonel Tiberius Sommers sat in the back of a Cerberus drop-ship, cigar sticking out of the corner of his mouth and Magnum revolver holstered at his waist. He was in his usual golden-brown long-coat and had taken the care to close it up since it was so damn cold outside. The cigar was only warming him slightly and so he had organized the pilot to close the drop-ship's doors and switch on the climate control systems. Through the window to his left the Colonel could survey the landscape rushing past below them, able to make out plenty of small towns as they flew over the Argentinean plains.

The Colonel wasn't the only one sitting in the passenger section of the drop-ship. About six Cerberus commandoes were sitting in the passenger section with him, helmet visors down and rifles on their laps. They were ready for whatever was awaiting them in Comodoro Rivadavia, whether that would be plenty of Zahni Corporation goons or nothing at all. Most were silent, occasionally muttering to each other in order to pass the time.

The Colonel had been told about the Corporation's scheme thanks to Hermann Holst, the informant he had gained back on the Citadel. He knew what Schraeder was planning but not even Hermann was sure of why the Corporation boss had come all the way out to some ghost town in southern Argentina. It had something to do with the package, no doubt, but it seemed that Schraeder had been intentionally tight-lipped about the whole subject.

According to Hermann, Schraeder was planning some sort of "master scheme" to bring most of the known galaxy under his control. Apparently there was some powerful artefact buried in the southern pole of Mars along with all the other Prothean ruins and that the contents of the package had something to do with it. Hermann had guessed that maybe the package was hidden somewhere in Comodoro Rivadavia and this was why Schraeder and his goons had come all the way out here. It certainly seemed likely, unless they were here because they had some sort of hidden base or something. A ghost town like Comodoro Rivadavia would make the perfect place to carry out work that you didn't want attracting anyone else's attention.

The Colonel had been on the tail of Dieter and Schraeder ever since the very beginning. He could remember, seven years ago, when he had been assigned to this operation by the Illusive Man. It had been when Schraeder had first taken up his search for the mysterious package marked "BMH-0018". Back then, Schraeder had simply turned up out of nowhere and seized control of the Corporation through a coup that had left a lot of his rivals dead. Cerberus had been only vaguely interested at first but their interest grew when they discovered that Schraeder had developed an interest into Alliance research on the remote planet of Hallian.

That was what had brought Colonel Sommers into it. At the time he had been busy helping to eliminate a splinter faction of Cerberus who had given themselves the stupid title of "Earthen Knights" and holed up on some backwater world, slaughtering the whole civilian population of a small settlement there and deciding to organize terrorist attacks on nearby colonies. Colonel Sommers had been promoted to his Colonel rank as a result of the mission he had organized using Alliance marines to remove this splinter faction and avoid drawing attention to Cerberus. Hallian had been a planet in the same sector as the Earthen Knight's main base and as a result the Illusive Man had figured that Colonel Sommers could handle intervening in the Corporation's interests on Hallian. As a result, the Colonel had organized a deal with the commander of a turian military base there who had in turn double-crossed him by removing the package from the human research facility. The Colonel had simply arranged for the destruction of the military base as a result.

For seven years the Colonel had been on the trail of Schraeder and Dieter and it seemed to have culminated in recent events, including the intervention of Kynarus Vakarian and Katherine Tyler. Both of them were to be "removed" as soon as possible but it seemed they had become good at laying low. At least, they had been good at it until today.

Hermann had been quite willing to tell the Colonel of his encounter with the pair in Buenos Aires. He had also told of their capture and escape from the Corporation, an escape which had taken the pair to the roof of the Corporation's headquarters building just as Schraeder and Dieter had escaped. Schraeder, it seemed, was preparing to organize mass attacks with forces of synthetic soldiers on all major colony worlds. He had left for Comodoro Rivadavia to recover the package, although right now most of this was all just speculation. However, the Colonel knew that Schraeder must be stopped at whatever cost in order to prevent galactic unrest.

Hermann had been recovered from the rooftop of the Corporation headquarters a few minutes after the turian and his human girlfriend had made their escape in a Corporation Osprey transport, going in pursuit of Schraeder. No doubt they had arrived in Comodoro Rivadavia by now and they were probably shooting the place up in their usual fashion.

The Colonel had known that sooner or later this whole Corporation business would reach a crescendo such as this. He had known that Schraeder would have eventually gotten out of prison in order to continue on with his crazy scheme and that the Colonel would have had to confront Schraeder one day. Today, it seemed, would be that day and the Colonel had the feeling that today would be a great day in the history of Cerberus. Even as he and his men were sitting in this drop-ship, Cerberus agents were carrying out the final phase of a contingency plan that had been created in case Schraeder ever got close to carrying out his crazed plans. There were many Cerberus agents within the Corporation, most of them sleeper agents and now they would be "waking up" in order to gather the necessary information for Cerberus.

The Colonel didn't know much of Schraeder's scheme now but he was certain that he would know about it in a few hours, once the agents had gathered the necessary information and it had been sent to him. Regardless of the fact he knew barely any of the details to do with Schraeder's grand scheme he did know that he and the rest of Cerberus were running out of time to stop it from occurring. Schraeder had probably already found the package by now and he would be organizing his getaway to wherever it was he intended on staying in order to organize the Corporation's synthetic forces. Eliminating Kynarus Vakarian and Katherine Tyler were only secondary objectives at the moment, especially since Schraeder was coming close to his goal.

Hermann Holst sat across from the Colonel. It struck the Colonel just how pathetic Hermann looked, forced to hobble around on crutches while his broken nose was covered in a white bandage. He looked like a total wreck and even now he was shaking, either because of the cold or because he was so damn frightened of whatever was coming. The Colonel didn't care much for Hermann, seeing him more as a helpful tool than anything else. As with all tools, they became unneeded or worn out after a while. That time was nearing for Hermann Holst.

The Colonel was especially doubtful of Hermann's validity as an asset to Cerberus because of his recent refusal to help. They had found Hermann on the roof of the Zahni Corporation's headquarters building and it seemed that he had refused to tag along with Schraeder and the rest of the Corporation goons. He had even at first refused coming along with the Colonel but after some "friendly" chat Hermann had climbed aboard the drop-ship, seating himself away from the Cerberus commandoes and remaining silent for the journey. The Colonel could see that Hermann was tired of both working for the Zahni Corporation and working for Cerberus, a sign that probably meant he was no longer useful. Still, as an act of good faith, the Colonel had decided to get him to tag along with them as they finally finished off Schraeder for good. Once Schraeder and Dieter were gone chances are the whole Zahni Corporation would collapse, leaving many jobless but the galaxy safe from Schraeder's crazy schemes.

_Remove the head and the body will fall…_

To top it off part of the Colonel's orders was to get hold of the package for Cerberus' use and this was on thing that the Colonel was quite willing to do. After all, such an asset would definitely help Cerberus' final goal of making humanity the ruling power in the galaxy.

The Colonel puffed lightly on his cigar, eyeing Hermann closely. Hermann was shaking like a leaf and definitely not in much of a state to tag along with them, let alone help them. It was obvious all this betraying and killing was getting to him but the Colonel knew it was all part of the job. Being an informant was hard work and their life spans were short.

"Hermann," the Colonel said, deciding to break the annoying silence inside the drop-ship. Hermann looked up and it was then that the Colonel noticed the beads of sweat on the young man's forehead. The Colonel didn't find it too hot inside the cooped-up confines of the drop-ship and figured it was just another result of Hermann's obvious anxiety.

"You look worried," the Colonel said, removing the cigar from his mouth and blowing some smoke. The tip of the cigar glowed a red-orange and a thin trail of smoke wafted from it, heading up towards the ceiling where it was cleaned up by the ventilation systems.

"Something on your mind?" The Colonel asked. It was obvious that there was plenty on Hermann's mind but he decided he would humour the young man, just for his own amusement. Perhaps he could learn a little more about the Zahni Corporation, although the Colonel already knew much about them already. Apparently it had been founded by a bunch of German guys back in 1946 and had started as a sort of secret society before gradually expanding and gaining followers.

"I've had enough of this," Hermann said, rephrasing what he had told the Colonel when they had landed on the roof of the Zahni Corporation headquarters building. Hermann certainly seemed to have had enough but that was besides the point. He was too great a security risk to simply let go and he could easily revert back to working for the Zahni Corporation, letting Schraeder know all about the Colonel and what sort of operation he had going.

"You said that earlier," the Colonel replied, "and yes, I can understand why you've had enough. However, simply letting you go would prove to be far too great a security risk for us. You already know about me and what I intend to do to get rid of the Zahni Corporation. I'm afraid you have to stay with us for a while until we can properly clear you…"

"I've had enough!" Hermann was raising his voice now but the Colonel was unfazed, simply raising an eyebrow. The rest of the commandoes turned their heads to watch as Hermann began to lose his temper. The Colonel didn't care much for whatever it was Hermann was going to say and simply remained seated, casually puffing away on his cigar.

"You already said that," the Colonel said simply, "besides, you don't have to yell. Perhaps we can discuss this as civilized men…"

"I just want to leave," Hermann said, shaking his head, "I can't take this anymore. I'm tired of all the things I've done…" He seemed to be on the brink of tears but the Colonel really didn't care. Rather, he simply remained sitting while puffing on his cigar, not at all concerned about Hermann's wellbeing. The man might have been of considerable help to Cerberus before but now he didn't even seem fit to be a spy.

"You were just doing your job," the Colonel said, figuring that Hermann was referring to all the people Schraeder and Dieter had ordered Hermann to kill. Or it was referring to all the experiments he had helped organize, many of these experiments probably having been on people and such. The Zahni Corporation was the type of organization that would experiment on human beings if only to further its own goals. Cerberus did the same but that was, of course, all for the greater good of humanity. The Zahni Corporation simply did such things for itself and certainly not to help the rest of humanity.

"Can I go? Please?" Hermann sounded like he was begging now. If there was one thing the Colonel hated it was people who nagged and begged things from him. After all, he had never been big on giving spare change to homeless people he might have walked past while they asked him for some. Hermann seemed to be nagging to be let go but that simply could not be done. Protocols disallowed it unless the proper clearance had been granted to the person asking to be released.

"No, you can't leave," the Colonel said, trying to keep his annoyance hidden. If Hermann kept this up the Colonel may not have much other choice than to shut him up for good. He was disturbing the troops anyway and was even beginning to get on the Colonel's nerves.

"But I've done everything you asked me to!" Hermann exclaimed, "I don't see why I have to stay!"

"You're a fucking security risk, that's why!" The Colonel snapped back, "What part of 'security risk' don't you understand?" The Colonel knew losing his temper wouldn't really help him but he had lost it anyway, unable to really take anymore of Hermann's nagging.

The Colonel had been expecting Hermann to simply shut up when he could see that he had made the Colonel angry but rather Hermann yelled back. The commandoes in the passenger area with them watched and listened as a full blown argument erupted between the two.

"I just want to fucking leave!" Hermann shouted, "All you have to do is drop me off wherever you want! You'll never see me again, I swear…"

"I told you, I can't let you do that…" The Colonel clenched his jaw, ready to do whatever it took to shut Hermann up.

"Just please…I won't tell anyone about you or Cerberus! Just let me go!" Hermann was on the verge of tears now, his voice laced with desperation. He was obviously completely oblivious to the fact that the Colonel was permitted to do whatever was necessary to get rid of security risks such as Hermann. The Colonel knew that letting Hermann go would be a mistake since chances were the little dweeb would spill the beans to the Alliance. He didn't have the strength to resist any sort of interrogation, especially since he was probably wanted for questioning by Alliance authorities.

"Shut up Hermann before I lose my temper again," the Colonel said bluntly and sternly but to no effect. Hermann kept yelling and seemed to be fidgeting more and more. It was obvious Hermann was getting desperate and was probably emotionally unstable to top it all off. In other words, Hermann had lost his mind.

"Just let me go! Please! You don't need me!"

The last remark caught the Colonel's attention. He realized then that he had more than enough of an excuse to get rid of Hermann and so within seconds he had pulled out the Magnum revolver, pointing it towards Hermann and smiling when he realized that he would be finally rid of this annoyance for good.

Hermann saw the weapon and he fell silent, his eyes widening. All of a sudden he started to frantically search for a means to escape but since they were inside a drop-ship flying high above the ground the Colonel doubted he would find any.

"You're right Hermann," the Colonel said, smiling widely, "we don't need you anymore."

Pulling the trigger the revolver jumped back in the Colonel's grip, the shot ringing throughout the interior of the drop-ship. It was enough to make the Colonel's ears ring for a few seconds while a thin trail of wispy smoke wafted from the barrel of the weapon. Hermann still had a surprised look on his face but he now had a rather large and bloody hole in his forehead. Hermann slumped back against the wall of the passenger cabin, smearing it with blood as he fell to one side. With a nod from the Colonel one of the commandoes pulled a lever in the wall, opening the side door closest to Hermann's corpse.

Outside the rain still poured and the wind whistled past loudly while the derelict buildings of Comodoro Rivadavia were visible in the distance, located by a grey looking beach. A few lights were on in some of them, signifying that perhaps the whole city wasn't as abandoned as most people thought.

"Throw him out," the Colonel ordered the commando who had opened the door. With relative ease the commando dragged Hermann's corpse to the edge of the open doorway and with a single push sent the corpse falling from the drop-ship, going down quite a height before finally landing on the roof of a metal shed below. The shed itself then collapsed from the impact and the Colonel was able to watch this with slight amusement. Once the spectacle was over the Colonel ordered the commando to close the door in order to keep out the cold and the wet.

As the commando closed the door the Colonel sat back in his seat, now with his mind clear of Hermann's annoying yelling. He could tell they were coming up on the city and would arrive in a few minutes so he doubted he would get much of a chance to sit and revel in his own thoughts like he usually did during a boring flight such as this. He was quite right about not getting much of a chance since the pilot's voice came from the front of the craft, catching the Colonel's attention.

"We're coming up on Comodoro Rivadavia now, sir," the pilot said, tilting his head to look back at the Colonel, "and scanners are picking up weapons fire from the city's southern outskirts. My guess is that's where we need to be."

The Colonel nodded, quite certain that the weapons fire meant that Schraeder and Dieter were in the city as well as Kynarus and Katherine. No doubt the troublesome turian and his human girlfriend had pursued Schraeder and Dieter from the headquarters building and were currently in a shootout with them and the Corporation's forces. Having four main targets in the one place would certainly save the Colonel a lot of legwork.

"Take us there," the Colonel said, pleased with his good fortune, "and make sure to take us in slowly and quietly. We don't want them catching wind of our arrival."

"Right sir," the pilot said before returning to the drop-ship's controls and viewport in front of him.

The Colonel turned to the six commandoes sitting in the passenger section with him, seeing that they were all eager to get down in the city and finish this operation as much as he wanted to. Finally, after seven years of fruitless searches and false leads they had found Schraeder and the package. At least, the Colonel was certain Schraeder would have the package with him. Hopefully he would, otherwise there would be much trouble when the Colonel sent his report of today's activities back to the Illusive Man.

"Get ready troops," the Colonel said as he opened the chamber on his revolver and loaded a bullet into the empty hole, "we're almost to our destination. We'll be coming in low and slow and so should avoid attracting much attention."

The commandoes nodded and began checking their weapons and lowering the visors on their helmets. The Colonel put his Magnum revolver back into his holster just as the drop-ship began to ascend. The sounds of weapons fire were quite audible through the drop-ship's doors, indicating that they were close.

_It's time to finish this._

The Colonel knew that today would be the last day in this seven year long operation and that, if he was successful, promotions and other rewards would await him. That would explain why he was suddenly so eager to disembark from the drop-ship and get to work.

* * *

Kynarus Vakarian had only just started to enjoy himself. Maybe it was the fact he was manning a mounted gun that could fire hundreds of rounds in a few seconds or maybe it was the fact that he was close to getting rid of Dieter and Schraeder. Whatever it was he was wearing the turian equivalent of a smile, sitting behind the Osprey transport's mounted gun and firing away at the several Corporation soldiers in the swampy overgrown park below. Ahead were the suburban areas of Comodoro Rivadavia, dilapidated and mostly abandoned as a result of the economic downfall of Argentina after the discovery and implementation of element zero as a fuel.

Kynarus had found the mounted gun stored neatly in a compartment within the Osprey transport during the flight here. He hadn't needed to do much to control the aircraft; it had simply guided itself to the coordinates that had been programmed into its navigation computer, making adjustments according to wind and air temperature whenever necessary. Katherine had had her doubts that they would catch up to Schraeder in time before he escaped again. However, looking at the Corporation soldiers below it seemed a safe bet that Schraeder and Dieter were still in the area.

Kynarus had been feeling gradually weaker as time had passed since receiving his bullet wound to the chest. He had told himself he could hold out until after he had killed Schraeder and Dieter but now he was beginning to have his doubts, able to feel a much worse aching than before in and around the wound itself. He had a feeling it would only get worse, perhaps implying that the wound had become infected. If so he would need some proper medical attention soon, otherwise he might end up dying a rather painful death. Medicine wasn't his strong point so he wasn't quite sure what would happen, he just hoped he could hold out long enough to see this whole firefight through since he had the feeling he would end up encountering Dieter and Schraeder soon enough.

Crouched along side him was Katherine, her pistol drawn as she fired towards the Corporation goons scattering throughout the swampy public park below. She had her usual determined, fiery tempered look on her face as she took aim at one of the Corporation goons and started firing. Kynarus grabbed hold of the grip on the mounted gun and resumed pulling the trigger, watching as a pair of the Corporation goons were cut down by the hail of bullets. Kynarus kept the trigger firmly pressed as he strafed the gun's fire across the most immediate cluster of Corporation soldiers, ignoring the few rounds the goons fired in his direction. They were under too much fire to really take the care to aim properly, instead racing for cover and occasionally blind firing at the chopper. The chopper's armour was too strong for any rifle round to penetrate and so most bullets fired at Kynarus and Katherine either missed or pinged off of the aircraft's armour plating.

The Osprey transport descended into the swampy public park, coming to rest by a set of overgrown playground swings. The rotor blades slowed down as the engine switched itself to a neutral state, ready to leave at a moment's notice. Kynarus had no intention on leaving just yet however; he and Katherine had some business to attend to in here Comodoro Rivadavia.

Ahead and to the right was the other Osprey transport, quite obviously the one Schraeder had used to get here. That made the transport an obvious means of escape so while Katherine kept firing on the surviving few Corporation soldiers, Kynarus shifted his aim towards the chopper whilst keeping the trigger pressed. The bullets ripped through the park's overgrown long grass and tore into a tree up ahead, sending shards of bark flying everywhere as he strafed the fire right across the tree. The fire then started slamming into the side of the chopper as he rested his aim towards it, keeping a grim and determined expression on his face as he watched the Osprey transport's viewport explode apart into showers of broken glass. Bullets ripped into the Osprey's armour and one of the rotor sections of the wings started pouring smoke as the rest of the chopper was effectively reduced to Swiss cheese. Something ignited in the rotor section and that particular wing exploded into an orange fireball, sending pieces of metal showering throughout the public park. The remaining few Corporation soldiers scattered as the other rotor in the other wing detonated, completely obliterating the Osprey and leaving only a smouldering, flaming wreck. The stench of burning eezo reached Kynarus' nostrils but he ignored the irritating smell and returned his aim on the mounted gun back towards the three or so Corporation soldiers still taking cover amongst the junk that had been discarded in the park long ago.

Kynarus easily swept the continuous amount of fire across the positions of the Corporation soldiers, cutting them all down into bloody messes. Limbs severed and blood stained the swamps where the soldiers fell, no match against such a heavily armed opponent. Seeing that the area was clear Kynarus let go of the mounted gun's trigger, the whole park falling silent save for the sounds of the rain pattering upon the ground and leaves of nearby trees. He turned towards Katherine, seeing that she had relaxed a little and was stepping out of the Osprey.

"We should destroy the transport," Katherine said, turning around and gesturing towards the very Osprey transport they had used to get here. Kynarus nodded, agreeing with her suggestion entirely. Getting rid of all possible means of escape would ensure that neither Schraeder nor Dieter could make a getaway again.

Kynarus removed the mounted gun off of its tripod, able to feel its full weight now that it wasn't being supported. It must have been at least four kilograms, definitely not the sort of weapon one could easily carry around into a combat situation. However, today was a special case and Kynarus was quite certain that a bigger gun would increase his chances of making it through today alive. He grunted as he stepped out of the Osprey and onto the wet, squishy ground below while carrying the heavy machine gun.

Looking around, he could tell that no one had been here for quite some time. The whole park was an overgrown, swampy mess and people had taken the care to dump unneeded furniture and empty wooden crates here and most of these items were all but covered with grass and creepers. Up ahead were a set of unfinished houses while further past them was what appeared to be a church, the cross on the church's steeple quite visible. It had been near the church that Kynarus had spotted some other Corporation goons, including Dieter and Schraeder so it was there he and Katherine would go.

Katherine was looking around for any movement, weapon at the ready while she did so. She glanced at Kynarus, smiled and nodded towards the church.

"Come on handsome," Katherine said, more to amuse herself than anything else, "I bet they're still near the church."

Kynarus simply nodded. He wasn't really to sure why Schraeder and Dieter would go out of their way to travel all the way to some run down human city but he was certain it had something to do with the package. He knew that he and Katherine would have to stop Schraeder from doing whatever it was he was planning to do, something which involved armies of synthetics becoming activated and used as a means of taking over places by the Zahni Corporation. Kynarus had seen some of these synthetic soldiers in action and he knew that if they were easy to produce and cheap to make there would be many of them. The Zahni Corporation had a potentially limitless amount of synthetic soldiers and could easily churn out more whenever some were needed. A big Corporation like them had all of the necessary resources.

Katherine started making her way through the long, knee-high grass and past assorted pieces of rotting discarded furniture. Kynarus followed, lugging the mounted gun along with him. He winced as he felt a sharp stab of pain in his chest, ignoring it and refusing to let such a thing slow him down. Already the bandages he had wrapped over that area were beginning to get wet and soggy with his own blood and some were leaking out of the hole that the round had put through his armour. Still, he pressed on and hoped his bleeding wound wouldn't impede his progress.

The rain was coming down hard now, almost in sheets as a flash of lightning ripped through the dark clouds above. Thunder followed seconds later, quickly followed by another streak of lighting which struck the very tip of the cross atop the church steeple. Sparks flew off of the impact point and the crackle of thunder that came with it was almost deafening. Katherine and Kynarus watched the brief spectacle but otherwise kept walking, unable to let themselves be stopped by simple lightning strikes.

Part of Kynarus was worried that the big heavy machine gun he was carrying would make him a more liable target for a lightning strike but he quickly put these unnecessary fears in the back of his mind. He had other things to think about, after all.

By now they were nearing the boarded up, dilapidated old church that had obviously seen better days. Its walls were covered in all sorts of graffiti, ranging from simple tags to full blown artworks. To the right of the church was the cracked and ill-maintained car-park and to the right of the car-park was a large cemetery, the very place Kynarus had spotted Dieter and Schraeder during the fly over in the Osprey. Strangely enough he couldn't see anyone through the metal fence but the whole place was overgrown with grass and creepers, just like the park had been. There were plenty of hiding places in the long grass for anyone to lay low in. Kynarus did refuse to believe the two Corporation head honchos had escaped again, figuring that even if they were making a run for it he doubted they would have gotten far.

"Yell out when you see any movement that ain't ours," Kynarus muttered to Katherine as they stepped through the open, fallen over gate that lead into the cemetery. Katherine nodded, too afraid to speak in case it got the attention of a nearby enemy.

The many, densely packed gravestones were the main feature in this cemetery and most were barely visible since the grass and weeds had taken over, hiding them underneath a mass of greenery. Some of the larger ones were still quite visible, including a large angel statue up ahead near a set of old mausoleum entrances. Kynarus kept his guard up, his heart beating rapidly in his chest as he struggled to make out the finer details in the pouring rain. By now he and Katherine were soaked but such a trivial thing could not stop them from carrying out what they had come here to do.

The pair walked deeper into the cemetery, passing a newly dug up grave. Seeing it the two of them walked over, peering into the deep already water-filled hole at the foot of a large cross-shaped gravestone. Kynarus had a feeling about what had been buried here and he exchanged looks with Katherine, able to see that she was thinking the same thing. A pair of shovels and a dead Corporation soldier lay a short distance from the hole, Kynarus able to see the dead soldier was from when he had opened fire on the group here during the initial flyover. It was obvious who had been here before them but further investigation was hampered when a rifle up ahead opened fire.

Immediately Kynarus ducked behind the gravestone, Katherine rolling behind another one as rifle rounds blew chunks out of the stone near them. Kynarus looked around frantically, able to see a lone Corporation soldier with a raised rifle poking his head up above a short gravestone. Kynarus didn't think much of the threat and quickly stood up, bringing the heavy machine gun to bear and opening fire. Rounds tore through the air and literally ripped apart the stone the soldier was crouched behind, the high powered rounds severing the soldier's right arm from his body and sending his limp corpse splashing into a puddle behind him.

Katherine stood up as well, seeing that the threat was neutralized. Kynarus turned around, scanning their vicinity for any threats and catching sight of movement back towards the gate. It struck him then that their enemies were trying to flank them and he quickly gave Katherine the signal to find cover. It came a bit too late since Rellin Kia'Shan came rolling from behind a gravestone close to the gate, opening fire with his rifle just as Heinrich Walstedt appeared from behind the angel statue from the opposite direction. Katherine went diving behind one of the mausoleum structures as the rifle fire tore chunks from nearby gravestones, one of the rounds finding its mark and blowing a chunk out of Kynarus' right leg.

The turian shouted in agony, falling to his knees and managing a glance down at his new injury. Part of his shin had been blown away, leaving rather nasty looking jagged flesh. Dark blue blood oozed freely from the bullet wound and into the puddle of water he was now kneeling in, making the water cloudy. He ignored the agonizing burning pain and looked back up towards Rellin; the very one he was sure who had shot him. Katherine, meanwhile, was busy firing away at Heinrich Walstedt who had ceased firing himself and was moving for another piece of cover.

"Rellin! You bastard!" Kynarus shouted, pulling the trigger on the heavy machine gun. Rellin went to roll away from the fire but was too slow, yelling in pain as his right synthetic arm was torn right away from his body by one of the heavy rounds, sending his rifle flying from his grip. Before he could really react to that Kynarus had reworked his aim to point directly at the torso of the half-synthetic turian, the bullets tearing through flesh and steel and sending dark blue blood spraying forth. Kynarus kept the trigger pulled as Rellin twitched to and fro as he fell, part of his head disappearing in a dark blue spurt. The bullet ridden and now limp corpse of Rellin Kia'Shan splashed loudly in a puddle behind him, the turian's synthetic implants sizzling and sparking while his organic parts bled profusely.

Kynarus didn't have any regrets about killing a former friend. He knew that Rellin was too far under the Corporation's control to have been helped any other way. Perhaps death was better than being controlled by someone like Dieter. Of course, Kynarus was unsure of whether death really was better.

Kynarus slowly rose to his feet, almost stumbling again when a shot of pain went through his leg. He tried his best to ignore it, turning his attention towards Heinrich Walstedt.

Katherine was still firing away at where Heinrich was taking cover, keeping the Corporation associate suppressed as she got up and ran behind a large gravestone. It was then Kynarus became aware of footsteps somewhere behind him and he turned around, watching as Schraeder went running out of the cemetery gate holding what appeared to be the package in one hand. All of a sudden the mounted gun was sent flying out of Kynarus' grip, the sound of a gunshot echoing throughout the cemetery. Kynarus stumbled backwards, rubbing his left hand where a bullet had only just grazed his wrist. He looked up and saw Dieter standing several metres ahead of him, a heavy machine gun held in his arms as he pointed it towards the turian.

"Dieter…" Kynarus said, seeing the smiling Corporation head honcho. Dieter was dressed in his usual outfit and was also soaking wet, wearing his usual hat while a shoulder wound he had received earlier bled slightly. He eyed the turian carefully, still keeping his smile as he pointed the mounted gun towards the turian.

"I have to say, it's been an excellent game, what with you chasing me all this time," Dieter said, probably referring to the whole business of Kynarus having chased Dieter from Talerian to here. Dieter had probably thought of the whole thing as one big game, he seemed the type to do so.

"However, all games must come to an end," he said. Kynarus saw him look toward where Katherine was crouched and when she saw him she slowly rose to her feet, pointing her pistol towards him while Heinrich Walstedt came running from Kynarus' left. He trained his rifle on the turian while Dieter trained the mounted gun on Katherine, Katherine keeping her pistol pointed at Dieter. Kynarus was stuck in the middle but even now his hand was going for the pistol holstered at his waist, taking advantage of this change in the situation.

"I doubt I'll ever meet another worthy adversary as you, Kynarus," Dieter said, shifting his gaze back to the turian. Without even watching he pulled the trigger on the heavy machine gun he held, firing a volley of about three rounds which all slammed into Katherine's front. Kynarus, realizing what had just happened, watched in horror as Katherine stumbled backwards, bleeding from three different points in her chest.

"Katherine!" Kynarus shouted but he could already see that she had no chance. The very woman he had come to love simply gazed at him with empty eyes, eyes missing the fire he had gotten used to seeing in them. She fell backwards, a trace of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth as she landed in a large puddle behind her. The water clouded red with her blood and her empty eyes gazed lifelessly towards the overcast sky. It was the one sight Kynarus had been dreading.

That was when Kynarus Vakarian lost it, no longer caring about his own safety or whatever consequences awaited him. Dieter had been about to say something when the turian turned around and grabbed Heinrich Walstedt's rifle, ripping the weapon out of the man's hands and turning it against him. The turian roared angrily and loudly and without even bothering to aim he pulled the rifle's trigger, peppering Heinrich with bullets and sending him falling back against a gravestone behind him. He had at least twenty bullets wounds in him by the time Kynarus stopped firing, three of the rounds having hit him in the head. In other words, Heinrich had become a bloody mess in only a few seconds. One of his arms was hanging loosely by a strand of muscle while part of his brain was visible, creating a rather sickening sight. He slumped against the gravestone behind him and smeared it with blood as he went down, a surprised expression still on his face as he died.

Within seconds Kynarus had turned around and opened fire towards Dieter. Dieter's finger went to the trigger of his heavy machine gun and started shooting as well yet Kynarus stood his ground, yelling and swearing in his native tongue in as loud a voice as possible.

Kynarus ignored the rounds that tore through his stomach and chest, instead only stumbling slightly as they hit. Kynarus sprayed rifle fire into Dieter at such a rate the human went flying backwards, slamming into the metal fence behind him. It clanged loudly and the heavy machine gun went flying out of Dieter's arms, ceasing fire as he slumped down against the fence. Kynarus fell to his knees but still kept on shooting, sending more rounds ripping into Dieter even though he was quite surely dead. Part of Dieter's head went missing and his hat fell off, landing in a nearby puddle and floating. Parts of Dieter blew away into bloody red sprays, a section of his intestines hanging out of the bloody mess once known as his stomach. Blood shot out in geysers from the man's throat but this ended within a few seconds as Dieter's heart stopped. His stomach had been torn open by several rounds and shredded intestine hung out slightly, a sight that made Kynarus feel a little sick. The turian finally gave up on shooting when he was certain that Dieter wouldn't be getting back up again, tossing the rifle to the side as he looked up towards the heavens and let out a roar full of sorrow and rage.

He looked down at himself, able to see that his stomach area was thick with his own blood. He ripped away the plates on his torso, coughing up blood as he did so. His stomach was a mess of jagged flesh and oozing dark blue blood and the sight was enough to make him sick. He doubted his chances of survival immensely but even so he slowly rose to his feet, stepping over to where Katherine lay.

For about a minute he gazed down at her corpse, able to remember quite vividly all they had done together. He slowly knelt down and closed her eyes with one hand, making her appear much more peaceful in her death. Tears trickled down the turian's face and he even considered turning his pistol on himself but he knew he still had something to finish. He pulled out his pistol and started limping out of the cemetery, coughing and spluttering as his strength began to leave him. He left Katherine where she lay, fully aware that he would be joining her in whatever awaited after death soon enough.

It wasn't hard to find Schraeder, especially since the wooden boards on the front door of the church had been blasted away by a biotic throw. The evidence was all there, the way the doors simply bent inward along with all the metal and wooden boards which lay scattered on the floor. The doors themselves were hanging loose on their hinges, as if pushed open by an incredible force.

Inside the dank, dark and musty church Kynarus could see Schraeder kneeling in front of the altar, the metal package lying on its side near him. He looked towards the turian who was bleeding profusely from the stomach and chest areas. Schraeder found it amazing that Kynarus was still alive, let alone able to walk.

Kynarus slowly started walking towards Herbert von Schraeder, able to tell that the Corporation boss had seemingly thrown in the towel. Help wasn't coming for him, they both knew that and it seemed safe to assume that Schraeder would not be able to carry out his grand scheme. Instead, he looked up at the young, dying turian and began to speak.

"I'm finished," he said.

"Shut up!" Kynarus shouted angrily, raising his pistol and pointing it straight at the kneeling human's face. Schraeder just looked up at him, that eerie blue tinge to his eyes reappearing. This time around Kynarus wasn't fazed.

"You haven't seen what I've seen, Kynarus," Schraeder said, not really looking at the turian or anything else in particular, "whole cities reduced to nothing but ashes…the skies darkened with the very bringers of death themselves…You have no idea what extinction awaits us all…"

"Shut up!" Kynarus' left hand was shaking, the nearby set of lit candles casting an eerie glow over the pair. He couldn't take anymore of this extinction bullshit but something was stopping him from pulling the pistol's trigger. Whatever it was, Kynarus really wanted it to stop.

"The package…it was our only chance…" Schraeder was taking on a rather crazy sounding tone, as if he was in the middle of a dream, "you've doomed us all…"

The gunshot that followed echoed throughout the church and silenced Schraeder forever. The Corporation boss simply fell forwards, landing at Kynarus' feet as a pool of dark red blood began to form around his head. The turian, on the other hand, simply dropped his pistol and turned around. He took a deep breath but ended up coughing again, blood mixed with spittle spraying out of his mouth. Ahead, he could make out a figure flanked on both sides by six others. The only thing that mattered to the turian was how Schraeder was now dead and that the Zahni Corporation was finished. Perhaps that's what Schraeder had meant when he had said, "I'm finished." Perhaps the real meaning of his words would never be known.

"Kynarus, we finally meet again!" Colonel Sommers exclaimed as he approached the young turian. He stopped about two metres ahead of the turian, looking at Kynarus' wounds and shaking his head. "You really should get that looked at."

Kynarus didn't say a word. He doubted he had the strength to speak or even stand up for much longer. Even as he stood he could feel his energy leaving him as his body began to shut down, unable to cope with all the wounds it had received. Perhaps his brother Garrus had been right after all: he was going to die on this assignment. So much for a happy retirement.

"I see you got rid of Dieter and Schraeder," the Colonel observed, smiling, "you're certainly a nasty piece of work. Everywhere you go you always manage to leave a trail of corpses behind you."

Kynarus remained silent. This seemed to irritate the Colonel but Kynarus was more concerned about the six Cerberus commandoes standing at the far end of the church. If a firefight erupted now the turian doubted his chances of survival. For some reason though, he didn't care. He just wanted to lie down and have a very long rest…

"And you found the package," the Colonel said, gesturing towards the metal package lying near Schraeder's corpse. He started to step over to it but Kynarus stepped in front of him, barring his way towards the item. The Colonel seemed amused at this resistance but otherwise didn't resume walking, instead taking a step back from the turian and thinking over what he should do next.

Kynarus didn't see any reason why he should even bother anymore. He was dying anyway and Katherine was dead and without her…well, he didn't know what he should do. Strangely enough he began thinking of the human woman he had briefly had a relationship with, deciding that if he was going to die he would die with thoughts of her in his mind.

"We're finished," Kynarus croaked, swallowing back blood as soon as he finished speaking. The Colonel looked at him strangely, unsure of what Kynarus was getting at. If Schraeder had been right about the package being their only chance then they really were all "finished".

"Sorry?"

"Go to hell, Colonel."

Colonel Tiberius Sommers raised an eyebrow. Kynarus simply laughed but began to cough again, able to feel his heartbeat slow and his wounds throb painfully.

"Take that back, Kynarus…" The Colonel said this sternly but was interrupted by the turian who was simply smiling at him.

"Go to hell…"

Kynarus knew the futility of his situation and started laughing about it. He was done for, he knew that. Why the hell should he be miserable about it? Now was his chance to piss off the Colonel and he was going to try and make the most of it.

"I'm warning you, turian…" The Colonel began, reaching for his Magnum revolver. He pulled it out of its holster and within seconds had it pointed straight at Kynarus' head. Kynarus saw it and simply kept laughing.

"You're such a prick, Colonel," Kynarus laughed weakly. Colonel Sommers kept the Magnum pointed and hovering near his head but otherwise did nothing.

Kynarus fell to his knees, tasting his own blood in his mouth. Putting a hand to his stomach and it came back sticky with his own dark blue blood. It was seeping out of multiple bullet wounds, dripping onto the floor before him. He was surprised that he had even lasted this long, having been driven by the rage at seeing Katherine murdered. Now that rage had gone, replaced with a mere…tranquility. Kynarus' mind was clearer now than it ever had been and it was this clear thinking that allowed him to do what he did next.

He carefully reached towards the package which lay near Schraeder's corpse. Colonel Sommers watched carefully, keeping his Magnum pointed but uncertain as to what he should do. Kynarus had caused much trouble, yes…but was it really worth wasting a bullet on a turian who was already in the process of dying?

Kynarus brought the metal case that was the "mysterious package" that had been the centre of everyone's attention lately. He had been assigned to recover it by the Colonel at what seemed like an eternity ago…Now he was here, bleeding to death in a dilapidated church on a planet far from his home. It had been a long time since he had been home on Palaven.

"What are you doing?" There was uncertainty in Colonel Sommers' usually unfaltering voice. He swallowed, taking a step back as Kynarus laid the case out on the floor before him.

"I wouldn't open it if I were you," Kynarus croaked, laughing wildly. His fingers carefully opened the pair of locks on the metal case. "You never know what might happen…"

"Don't…" The Colonel seemed genuinely afraid. The Cerberus commandoes standing with him seemed to falter in their stances.

Kynarus' shaking hands gripped the front of the case. He began to lift it open, a bright golden light seeping through the gap…It seemed almost holy, as if powered by a divine source.

And that's when the Colonel fired. The shot echoed loudly throughout the inside of the church and the smell of old fashioned gun smoke filled the air. Kynarus stumbled, taking a breath but finding that the air left him through a newly created hole. The sharp stab of pain in his chest was enough to tell him that he had been shot…again. His chest seemed to fill with a strange warm sensation as the internal bleeding began.

Kynarus had closed the partially opened case but resumed when he had recovered from the immediate brunt of the bullet. By now his strength was ebbing away at a startlingly fast rate and his breathing had become shallow and irregular. Not long now, he knew that much.

"I'm warning you," Sommers said, his voice laced with fear, "I don't want to waste anymore bullets…"  
Kynarus began to lift open the case again. For his efforts Sommers fired his Magnum again. This time the round caught Kynarus in the throat and blew a sizeable portion of it away.

The turian collapsed onto the package, closing it and blotting out the holy light from within. Kynarus tried to speak but nothing but blood came out of his mouth. Each breath he tried to make instead brought up more blood and he could only gargle what remaining life he had away. His vision went hazy and the last of his strength finally left him. And even though he was dying he felt strangely tranquil…As if he had been expecting it.

* * *

On board the SSV _Normandy_, now en route to the planet Ilos, Garrus Vakarian woke up suddenly and without warning. He clutched at his throat, feeling a distinct stinging pain there that had seemingly come from nowhere. It subsided almost immediately but he was left wondering just what had caused it, thinking that maybe he was coming down with some sort of virus. His scaly body was slicked with sweat while the bed sheets were quite ruffled, as if he had been thrashing about wildly.

He had been dreaming. Of what, he could barely remember…Something to do with rain and a dilapidated old church…

He could remember the words of his brother from their last encounter at the Citadel. Kynarus had been somewhat adamant to stay in his job as a mercenary and Garrus had been rather certain that sooner or later his brother would wind up dead. He had even voiced this certainty to his brother then but now, for some reason, he regretted it. In fact, there was that nagging feeling on his mind that something had happened to Kynarus.

A brief glance at the computer on the wall revealed the time to be around-about midnight. Commander Kate Shepard slept soundly beside him, completely undisturbed by his thrashing about. Garrus felt at ease with her by his side and so lay back down on his pillow, playing over the thoughts that were running through his mind.

Soon they would be at Ilos and would hopefully get Saren. And in a few days Garrus Vakarian would receive word that his brother was dead. And in a week he would be on the trail of the killers.

However, that is another story altogether.

* * *

**Author's Ramblings**

That's it. That's the end. And no, I don't believe in happy endings. In fact, happy endings annoy me. I could never bring myself to put a happy ending in any story I wrote.

There were many different endings I had planned. The first one had Sommers merely shooting Kynarus on the spot without giving the turian much of a chance to talk (to make the ending even more a downer). Another one had Kynarus fighting through Schraeder's heavily protected South American villa in order to enact vengeance on the man, sort of going about it in a fashion reminiscent of a John Woo movie. And another one (and the most ill-conceived) had Garrus showing up at the last minute to save the day for no apparent reason (which would have certainly been spontaneous but damn stupid).

I took the chance in this story to pay homage to my favourite movies (in other words, I stole ideas). Elements of _Total Recall_ are evident in the parts set on Mars, including a corrupt Administrator as there was in the movie. I incorporated that _Blade Runner_-esque cityscape for the city Buenos Aires (although the city itself only featured for about two chapters). I also nabbed a few less profound elements, such as the sort of frontier settlement you would expect to find in the television show _Firefly_ and its movie _Serenity_, hence the overall look I set up for the settlement on Taleria. Colonel Tiberius Sommers is merely a rip-off of the character of Colonel Augustus Autumn from _Fallout 3_ since I liked the character as a villain so much I decided to put him in the story, albeit under a different name. In fact, I liked Colonel Sommers as a villain so much I didn't kill him off.  
And about the mysterious case…box…package...whatever it is…I'm still not quite sure what's inside of it, although it's certainly dangerous. If you've seen the movie _Repo Man_ you'd be familiar with the dangerous glowing contents of the trunk of a 1962 Chevy Malibu that vaporize anyone nearby when the trunk's opened. I was sort of thinking that the contents of the mysterious box would do the same sort of thing, except only Sommers and the late Herbert von Schraeder know of its true nature. That explains why Dieter and his goons were so quick to try and open it earlier in the story while they were on Talerian, having no real idea as to what was inside. The original plan featured the contents being revealed as the Spear of Destiny but that idea was quickly dumped.

Some plot details I prefer to leave unclarified: Schraeder's origin (time travel's always a possibility) and why the package was buried in a cemetery at Comodoro Rivadavia are just two of them.

I'm proud of this story, even if it seems to be without a plethora of reviews. I started writing about a week after I completed the game back in January (this year 2009) since I only got my Xbox 360 back in the December before. Then I finished it and went on to write a _Stargate SG-1_ story.

There are some things I'm not too pleased with (such as the character of Bradley, an absolutely unnecessary addition to the cast whose only real purpose in the plot was to get Kynarus and Katherine off of Mars). However, I'm quite happy with the final product even if it is long and contains more than one fairly detailed sex scene. Then again, Kynarus is the kind of turian who would take advantage of any pretty young female that caught his eye.

No one in this story is genuinely heroic. Kynarus does a few questionable things, as do most of the other characters (save for Katherine). I made sure that every major character death was notable in some way, such as Klaus' asphyxiation on the surface of Mars or Heinrich getting shredded by Kynarus' rifle fire. And in reality, the good guys don't always win. If they did there'd be world peace. I doubt that there ever will be world peace since there's always going to be evil somewhere.

Turian/human relationships are certainly interesting, hence the reason this story is centred around one. Bioware should put one in _Mass Effect 2_, just to please a sizeable portion of the fan-base.

And about a sequel to _Loving the Alien_…well, I'm not really considering it. Kynarus' story is all but told and that last, final bit featuring Garrus I put in just to keep things open and slightly less downbeat. It doesn't mean I'm not going to do a sequel since I believe that the Mass Effect universe must be set right: Sommers has the package and Cerberus will only exploit its powers for their own advantages. Thus, this will obviously have some effect on the Mass Effect universe as a whole. So, the possibility of a sequel is there, I just doubt I'll ever get around to doing it for some time. I'm working on other things, such as a fairly lengthy _Transformers _story and a detailed _District 9_ story. And if I did write a sequel it wouldn't have a happy ending.

Thanks for reading.


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